751-2. Hybrid system
ES300h_OM_OM33C75U_(U)
1
For safety and security
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction battery) air intake vent
●Do not place objects that will block the air intake vent. The hybrid battery (traction
battery) may overheat and be damaged.
●Clean the air intake vent regularly to prevent the hybrid battery (traction battery)
from overheating.
●Do not get water or foreign materials in the air intake vent as this may cause a short
circuit and damage the hybrid 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 (traction battery), the battery may be damaged.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
90
ES300h_OM_OM33C75U_(U)2. Instrument cluster
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the engine and its components
●Do not let the indicator needle of the tachometer enter the red zone, which indicates
the maximum engine speed.
●The engine may be overheating if the engine coolant temperature gauge is in the red
zone (H); or “Engine Coolant Temp High” is shown on the multi-information display.
In this case, immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place, and check the engine after it
has cooled completely. (
→P. 5 3 3 )
ES300h_OM_OM33C75U_(U)
1594-1. Before driving
4
Driving
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 parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray 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 windshield 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 the 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 apply the parking brake, shift the shif t lever to P, stop the hybrid system and
lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended while the “READY” indicator is illuminated.
If the vehicle is parked with the shift lever in P but the parking brake is not set, the
vehicle may start to move, possibly leading to an accident.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipes while the “READY” indicator is illuminated or imme-
diately after turning the hybrid system off.
Doing so may cause burns.
■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 ventilated area, exhaust
gases may collect and enter the vehicle, leading to death or a serious health hazard.
ES300h_OM_OM33C75U_(U)
1714-2. 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 system. After about 10 seconds, the steering lock motor will
resume functioning.
■When “Check Access System with Elec. Key” is displayed on the multi-information dis-
play
The system may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately.
■If the “READY” indicator does not come on
In the event that the “READY” indicator does not come on even after performing the
proper procedures for starting the vehicle, contact your Lexus dealer immediately.
■If the hybrid system is malfunctioning
→ P. 7 2
■If the electronic key battery is depleted
→P. 4 8 1
■Operation of the power switch
●If the switch is not pressed shortly and firm ly, the power switch mode may not change or
the hybrid system may not start.
●If attempting to restart the hybrid system immediately after turning the power switch off,
the hybrid system may not start 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-button start has been deactivated in a customized
setting
→P. 5 2 7
■Odometer and trip meter display
When the power switch is turned off, the odometer or trip meter display will extinguish
after approximately 30 seconds. “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.
ES300h_OM_OM33C75U_(U)
2674-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
■Operation of the air conditioning system in Eco drive mode
Eco drive mode controls the heating/cooling operations and fan speed of the air condi-
tioning system to enhance fuel efficiency ( →P. 395). To improve air conditioning perfor-
mance, adjust the fan speed or turn off Eco drive mode.
■Sport mode automatic deactivation
Sport mode is automatically deactivated if the power switch is turn ed off after driving in
sport mode.
ES300h_OM_OM33C75U_(U)
2794-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
■ECB operating sound
ECB operating sound may be heard in the following cases, but it does not indicate that a
malfunction has occurred.
●Operating sound heard from the engine compartment when the brake pedal is oper-
ated.
●Motor sound of the brake system heard from the front part of the vehicle when the
driver’s door is opened.
●Operating sound heard from the engine compartment when one or two minutes
passed after the stop of the hybrid system.
■EPS operation sound
When the steering wheel is operated, a motor sound (whirring sound) may be heard.
This does not indicate a malfunction.
■Automatic reactivation of TRAC and VSC systems
After turing the TRAC and VSC systems off, the systems will be automatically re-
enabled in the following situations:
●When the power switch is turned off
●If only the TRAC system is turned off, the TRAC will turn on when vehicle speed
increases.
If both the TRAC and VSC systems are turned off, automatic re-enabling will not occur
when vehicle speed increases.
■Operating conditions of hill-start assist control
When the following four conditions are met, the hill-start assist control will operate:
●The shift lever is in a position other than P or N (when starting off forward/backward on
an upward incline).
●The vehicle is stopped.
●The accelerator pedal is not depressed.
●The parking brake is not engaged.
■Automatic system cancelation of hill-start assist control
The hill-start assist control will turn off in any of the following situations:
●The shift lever is moved to P or N.
●The accelerator pedal is depressed.
●The parking brake is engaged.
●Approximately 2 seconds elapse after the brake pedal is released.
■Reduced effectiveness of the EPS system
The effectiveness of the EPS system is reduced to prevent the system from overheating
when there is frequent steering input 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 nor-
mal within 10 minutes.
282
ES300h_OM_OM33C75U_(U)4-6. Driving tips
Hybrid vehicle driving tips
◆Using Eco drive mode
When using Eco drive mode, the torque corresponding to the accelerator
pedal depression amount can be generated more smoothly than it is in normal
conditions. In addition, the operation of
the air conditioning system (heating/
cooling) will be minimized, improving the fuel economy. ( →P. 266)
◆Use of Hybrid System Indicator
The Eco-friendly driving is possible by keeping the indicate of Hybrid System
Indicator within Eco area. ( →P. 88)
◆Shift lever operation
Shift the shift lever to D when stopped at a traffic light, or driving in heavy traf-
fic etc. Shift the shift lever to P when parking. When using the N, there is no
positive effect on fuel consumption. In the N, the gasoline engine operates but
electricity cannot be generated. Also, wh en using the air conditioning system,
etc., the hybrid battery (traction battery) power is consumed.
◆Accelerator pedal/brake pedal operation
●Drive your vehicle smoothly. Avoid abrupt acceleration and deceleration.
Gradual acceleration and deceleration will make more effective use of the
electric motor (traction motor) without having to use gasoline engine
power.
●Avoid repeated acceleration. Repeated acceleration consumes hybrid bat-
tery (traction battery) power, resulting in poor fuel consumption. Battery
power can be restored by driving with the accelerator pedal slightly
released.
◆When braking
Make sure to operate the brakes gently and in a timely manner. A greater
amount of electrical energy can be regenerated when slowing down.
For economical and ecological driving, pay attention to the following points:
ES300h_OM_OM33C75U_(U)
3956-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
6
Interior features
■Fogging up of the windows
●The windows will easily fog up when the humidity in the vehicle is high. Selecting “A/C”
on the option control screen will dehumidi fy the air from the outlets and defog the
windshield effectively.
●If you turn “A/C” off, the windows may fog up more easily.
●The windows may fog up if the recirculated air mode is used.
■Windshield fog detection function
When automatic mode is set, the humidity sensor ( →P. 397) detects fog on the wind-
shield and controls the air cond itioning system to prevent fog.
■Outside/recirculated air mode
●When driving on dusty roads, in tunnel s, or in heavy traffic, set to the
recirculated air mode. This is effective in preventing outside air from entering the vehi-
cle interior. During cooling operation, setting the recirculated air mode will also cool
the vehicle interior effectively.
●Outside/recirculated air mode may automatically switch depending on the tempera-
ture setting or the inside temperature.
■When the outside temperature is low
The dehumidification function may not operat e even when “A/C” on the option control
screen is selected.
■Automatic mode for air intake control
In automatic mode, the system detects exhaust gas and other pollutants and automati-
cally switches between outside air and recirculated air modes.
When the dehumidification function is off, and the fan is operating, turning automatic
mode on will activate the dehumidification function.
■Micro dust and pollen filter
●In order to prevent the windshield from fogging up when the outside air is cold, the fol-
lowing may occur:
• Outside air mode does not switch to (recirculated air) mode.
• The dehumidification function operates.
• The operation cancels after approximately 1 minute.
●In rainy weather, the windows may fog up. Press .
●In extremely humid weather, the windows may fog up.
●The pollen is filtered out even if the micro dust and pollen filter is turned off.
■Operation of the air conditioning system in Eco drive mode
●In the Eco drive mode, the air conditioning sy stem is controlled as follows to prioritize
fuel efficiency
• Engine speed and compressor operation controlled to restrict heating/cooling capacity
• Fan speed restricted when automatic mode is selected
●To improve air conditioning performance, perform the following operations
• Adjust the fan speed
• Turn off Eco drive mode