
196 4-1. Before driving
RX350_U_OM48E90U WA R N I N G
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury. ■
When driving on slippery road surfaces ●
Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and reduce your
ability to control the vehicle. ●
Sudden acceleration, engine braking due to shifting, or changes in engine speed
could cause the vehicle to skid. ●
After driving through a puddle , lightly depress the brake pe dal to make sure that the
brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent the brakes from func-
tioning properly. If the brakes on only on e side are wet and not functioning properly,
steering control may be affected. ■
When shifting the shift lever ●
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 cause the engine to stall or lead to poor brake and steering perfor-
mance, resulting in an acciden t or damage to the vehicle.●
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.●
Do not shift the shift lever to R wh ile 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 a driving position while the vehicle is moving backward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.●
Shifting the shift lever to N while the ve hicle is moving will disengage the engine.
Engine braking is not available when N is selected. ●
Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed.
Shifting the shift lever to any position other than P or N 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 noise (brake pad wear limit indicators)
Have the brake pads checked and replaced by your Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
Rotor damage may 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.

1974-1. Before driving
4
Driving
RX350_U_OM48E90U WA R N I N G
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury. ■
When the vehicle is stopped ●
Do not race the engine.
If the shift lever is in any position other than P or N, the vehicle may accelerate sud-
denly and unexpectedly, causing an accident. ●
In order to prevent accidents due to the vehicle rolling away, always keep depressing
the brake pedal while the engine is running, and apply the parking brake as neces-
sary. ●
If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, in order to prevent accidents caused by the
vehicle rolling forward or backward, always depress the brake pedal and securely
apply the parking brake as needed. ●
Avoid revving or racing the engine.
Running the engine at high speed while the vehicle is stopped may cause the exhaust
system to overheat, which could result in a fire if combustible material is nearby. ■
When the vehicle is parked ●
Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, sp ray cans, or soft drink cans in the vehicle
when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plastic mate-
rial of glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior of the
vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehicle’s electrical components. ●
Do not leave cigarette lighters in the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a place such as
the glove box or on the floor, it may be lit accidentally when luggage is loaded or the
seat is adjusted, causing a fire. ●
Do not attach adhesive discs to the windsh ield or windows. Do not place containers
such as air fresheners on the instrument panel or dashboard. Adhesive discs or con-
tainers may act as lenses, causing a fire in the vehicle. ●
Do not leave a door or window open if th e curved glass is coated with a metallized
film such as a silver-colored one. Reflected sunlight may cause the glass to act as a
lens, causing a fire. ●
Always shift the shift lever to P, apply the parking brake, stop the engine and lock the
vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattend ed while the engine is running.●
Do not touch the exhaust pipes while the engine is running or immediately after turn-
ing the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.

2114-1. Before driving
4
Driving
RX350_U_OM48E90U Use the wire harness stored in the rear
end under body. ■
Auto current cut-off function
In case of over current, the auto cut-off fu nction stops the power flowing to the trailer
lights to prevent damage to th e vehicle’s electrical system.
This function is activated when the rated curren t of any of the following trailer light circuit
components is exceeded: ●
Tail lights: maximum 7.8 A ●
Stop/turn signal light (right): maximum 4.5 A ●
Stop/turn signal light (left): maximum 4.5 A ■
When the auto current cut function is activated
If a trailer light does not come on due to the activation of the auto current cut function,
the light system will need to be reset.
Follow the reset procedure shown below. ●
If a tail light does not come on, turn off the headlight switch. ●
If the right-side stop/turn signal light does not come on, put the turn signal in the off
position or remove foot from the brake pedal. ●
If the left-side stop/turn signal light does not come on, put the turn signal in the off posi-
tion or remove foot from the brake pedal.
If the emergency flashers do not operate, press the emergency flasher switch to turn
them off.
After the light system is reset, operate the light switches again to see if the lights operate
normally.
If the lights do not operate normally, have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.Connecting trailer lights

2174-1. Before driving
4
Driving
RX350_U_OM48E90U WA R N I N G ■
Hitch
Trailer hitch assemblies have different weight capacities established by the hitch manu-
facturer. Even though the vehicle may be physically capable of towing a higher weight,
the operator must determine the maximum weig ht rating of the particular hitch assem-
bly and never exceed the maximum weight rating specified for the trailer-hitch.
Exceeding the maximum weight rating set by the trailer-hitch manufacturer can cause
an accident resulting in death or serious personal injuries.■
When towing a trailer
Lexus recommends trailers with brakes that conform to any applicable federal and
state/provincial regulations. ●
If the gross trailer weight exceeds unbraked TWR, trailer brakes are required. Lexus
recommends trailers with brakes that conform to all applicable federal and state/pro-
vincial regulations. ●
Never tap into your vehicle’s hydraulic system, as this will lower the vehicle’s braking
effectiveness. ●
Never tow a trailer without using a safety ch ain securely attached to both the trailer
and the vehicle. If damage occurs to the coupling unit or hitch ball, there is danger of
the trailer wandering into another lane.
NOTICE ■
When installing a trailer hitch
Use only the position recommended by your Lexus dealer. Do not install the trailer
hitch on the bumper; this may cause body damage.■
Do not directly splice trailer lights
Do not directly splice trailer lights. Dire ctly splicing trailer lights may damage your
vehicle’s electrical system and cause a malfunction.

2354-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
RX350_U_OM48E90U The parking brake is set or released automatically according to shift lever opera-
tion.
Even when in automatic mode, the parkin g brake can be set and released manu-
ally. ( P. 2 3 6 )
Turns automatic mode on (while the
vehicle is stopped, pull and hold the
parking brake switch until the auto-
matic mode lamp turns on) • When the shift lever is moved out of
P, the parking brake will be released,
and the parking brake indicator light
and parking brake lamp turn off.
• When the shift lever is moved into P,
the parking brake will be set, and the
parking brake indicator light and
parking brake lamp turn on.
Operate the shift lever with the brake
pedal depressed.
Turns automatic mode off (while the
vehicle is stopped, press and hold
the parking brake switch until the
automatic mode lamp turns off)Parking brake A selections can be made as de sired from the following modes.
Automatic mode
Automatic
mode lamp U.S.A. Canada
Pa r k i n g
brake lamp1
2

236 4-2. Driving procedures
RX350_U_OM48E90U The parking brake can be set and released manually.
Sets the parking brake The parking brake indicator light and
parking brake lamp will turn on.
Pull and hold the parking brake switch if
an emergency occurs and it is necessary
to operate the parking brake while driv-
ing.
Releases the parking brake Operate the parking brake switch while
depressing the brake pedal. Make sure
that the parking brake indicator light
and parking brake lamp turn off.
If the parking brake indicator light and
parking brake lamp flashes, operate the
switch again. ( P. 6 3 4 )■
Parking brake operation ●
When the engine switch is not in IGNITION ON mode, the parking brake cannot be
released using the pa rking brake switch.●
When the engine switch is not in IGNI TION ON mode, automatic mode (automatic
brake setting and releas ing) is not available.■
If “Parking Brake Overheated Parking Brake Unavailable” is displayed on the multi-
information display
If the parking brake is operated repeatedly over a short period of time, the system may
restrict operation to prevent overheating. If this happens, refrain from operating the
parking brake. Normal operation will return after about 1 minute. ■
If “EPB Activation Stopped In completely” or “Parking Brake Unavailable” is displayed
on the multi-information display
Operate the parking brake switch. If the mess age does not disappear after operating the
switch several times, the sy stem may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected by
your Lexus dealer immediately.Manual mode U.S.A. Canada
Pa r k i n g
brake lamp1
2

2374-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
RX350_U_OM48E90U ■
Parking brake operation sound
When the parking brake operates, a motor sound (whirring sound) may be heard. This
does not indicate a malfunction. ■
Parking brake indicator light and parking brake lamp ●
Depending on the engine switch mode, the parking brake indicator light and parking
brake lamp will turn on and stay on as described below:
IGNITION ON mode: Comes on until the parking brake is released.
Not in IGNITION ON mode: Stays on for approximately 15 seconds. ●
When the engine switch is turned off with the parking brake set, the parking brake indi-
cator light and parking brake lamp will stay on for about 15 seconds. This does not indi-
cate a malfunction. ■
Changing the mode
When changing the automatic mode on/off , the message will be shown on the multi-
information display and the buzzer sounds. ■
Parking brake engaged warning buzzer
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is driven with the parking brake engaged. “Release
Parking Brake” is displayed on the multi-information display. ■
Warning messages and buzzers
Warning messages and buzzers are used to indicate a system malfunction or to inform
the driver of the need for caution. If a warn ing message is shown on the multi-information
display, read the message and follow the instructions.■
If the brake system warning light comes on
P. 6 3 4 ■
Usage in winter time
P. 3 8 1

2394-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
RX350_U_OM48E90U Turns the brake hold system on The brake hold standby indicator
(green) comes on. While the system is
holding the brake, the brake hold oper-
ated indicator (yellow) comes on.
■
Brake hold system operating conditions
The brake hold system cannot be turn ed on in the following conditions:●
The driver’s door is not closed. ●
The driver is not wearing the seat belt.
If any of the conditions above are detected when the brake hold system is enabled, the
system will turn off and the brake hold standby in dicator light will go of f. In addition, if any
of the conditions are detected while the sy stem is holding the brake, a warning buzzer
will sound and a message will be shown on th e multi-information display. The parking
brake will then be set automatically.Brake Hold
Vehicles without paddle shift switches
The brake hold system keeps the brake applied when the shift lever is in D, S or
N with the system on and the brake pedal has been depressed to stop the vehi-
cle. The system releases the brake when the accelerator pedal is depressed
with the shift lever in D or S to allow smooth start off.
Vehicles with paddle shift switches
The brake hold system keeps the brake applied when the shift lever is in D, M
or N with the system on and the brake pedal has been depressed to stop the
vehicle. The system releases the brake when the accelerator pedal is
depressed with the shift lever in D or M to allow smooth start off.