1594-1. Before driving
4
Driving
IS350/300/200t_U (OM53D76U)
■When starting off on an uphill
The hill-start assist control will activate. (→P. 289)
■Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is ra ining, because visibility will be reduced, the windows may
become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.
●Drive carefully when it starts to rain, beca use the road surface will be especially slip-
pery.
●Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain, because there may
be a layer of water between the tires and th e road surface, preventing the steering and
brakes from operating properly.
■Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, th e engine speed may become high while driving. This is due
to automatic up-shifting control or down-shi fting implementation to meet driving condi-
tions. It does not indica te sudden acceleration.
●The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill or downhill
●When the accelerator pedal is released
●When the brake pedal is depressed while sport mode is selected
■Restraining the engine output (Brake Override System)
●When the accelerator and brake pedals are depressed at the same time, the engine
output may be restrained.
●A warning message is displayed on the mult i-information display while the system is
operating. If a warning message is shown on the multi-in formation display, read the
message and follow the instructions.
■Restraining sudden start (Dri ve-Start Control) (IS200t)
●When the following unusual operation is performed, the engine output may be
restrained.
• When the shift lever is shifted from R to D, D to R, N to R, P to D, or P to R (D includes M) with the accelerator pedal depressed, a warning message appears on
the multi-information display. ( →P. 527)
• When the accelerator pedal is depressed t oo much while the vehicle is in reverse.
●While Drive-Start Control is being activated, your vehicle may have trouble escaping
from the mud or fresh snow. In such case, deactivate TRAC ( →P. 291) to cancel Drive-
Start Control so that the vehicle may beco me able to escape from the mud or fresh
snow.
■Breaking in your new Lexus
To extend the life of the vehicle, observin g the following precautions is recommended:
●For the first 186 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
●For the first 621 miles (1000 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.
1614-1. Before driving
4
Driving
IS350/300/200t_U (OM53D76U)
WARNING
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 engine running. 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 the 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 po sture 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 right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay re sponse in an emergency, resulting in an accident.
●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 engine. Turning the engine off while driving
will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems
will be lost. This will make it more difficult to steer and brake, so you should pull over
and stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
However, in the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way: →P. 507
●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. 177)
●Do not adjust the positions 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.
●Always check that all passengers’ arms, heads or other parts of their body are not
outside the vehicle.
●Do not drive across a river or th rough other bodies of water.
This may cause electric/elect ronic components to short circuit, damage the engine or
cause other serious damage to the vehicle.
●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 no t before driving at such speeds.
1624-1. Before driving
IS350/300/200t_U (OM53D76U)
WARNING
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 pedal 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 accide nt 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 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 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 vehicle is moving will disengage the engine from
the transmission. 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 a gear 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.
Front brakes only: Moderate levels of brak e pad and disc wear allow enhanced front
braking power. As a result, the discs may wear more quickly than conventional brake
discs. Therefore, when replacing the brake pads, Lexus recommends that you also
have the thickness of the discs measured.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads and/or those
of the brake discs are exceeded.
1644-1. Before driving
IS350/300/200t_U (OM53D76U)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. Otherwise, if you accidentally move the shift lever or
depress the accelerator pedal, this could cause an accident or fire due to engine over-
heating. Additionally, if the ve hicle is parked in a poorly ventilated area, exhaust gases
may collect and enter the vehicle, leading to death or a serious health hazard.
■When braking
●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 power brake assist function 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, bu t the brake pedal should be depressed more
firmly than usual. Also, the braking distan ce will increase. Have your brakes fixed
immediately.
●Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted brakes.
●The brake system consists of 2 individual hy draulic systems; if one of the systems fails,
the other will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal should be depressed more
firmly than usual and the bra king distance will increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
■If the vehicle becomes stuck
Do not spin the wheels excessive ly when any of the tires is up in the air, or the vehicle is
stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may damage the driveline components or propel the vehi-
cle forward or backward, causing an accident.
2254-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
IS350/300/200t_U (OM53D76U)• After the engine has started the vehicle has not been driven for a certain amount of
time
• While making a left/right turn and for a few seconds after making a left/right turn
• While driving on a curve and for a few seconds after driving on a curve
• If your vehicle is skidding
• If the wheels are misaligned
• If a wiper blade is blocking the camera sensor
• The vehicle is wobbling.
• The vehicle is being driven at extremely high speeds.
• When driving on a hill
• If the radar sensor or ca mera sensor is misaligned
●In some situations such as the following, sufficient braking forc e may not be obtained,
preventing the system from performing properly:
• If the braking functions cannot operate to their full extent, such as when the brake parts are extremely cold, extremely hot, or wet
• If the vehicle is not properly maintained (brakes or tires are excessively worn,
improper tire inflation pressure, etc.)
• When the vehicle is being driven on a gravel road or other slippery surface
●Some pedestrians such as the following may not be detected by the radar sensor and
camera sensor, preventing the system from operating properly
*2:
• Pedestrians shorter than approximately 3.2 ft. (1 m) or taller than approximately 6.5
ft. (2 m)
• Pedestrians wearing oversized clothing (a ra in coat, long skirt, etc.), making their sil-
houette obscure
• Pedestrians who are carrying large baggage, holding an umbrella, etc., hiding part
of their body
• Pedestrians who are bending forward or squatting
• Pedestrians who are pushing a stroller , wheelchair, bicycle or other vehicle
• Groups of pedestrians which are close together
• Pedestrians who are wearing white and look extremely bright
• Pedestrians in the dark, such as at night or while in a tunnel
• Pedestrians whose clothing appears to be nearly the same color or brightness as
their surroundings
• Pedestrians near walls, fences , guardrails, or large objects
• Pedestrians who are on a metal object (manhole cover, steel plate, etc.) on the road
• Pedestrians who are walking fast
• Pedestrians who are changing speed abruptly
• Pedestrians running out from be hind a vehicle or a large object
• Pedestrians who are extremely close to the side of the vehicle (outside rear view mirror, etc.)
*2: For countries/areas specified as Region B ( →P. 214), the pedestri an detection func-
tion may not be available. • If the front of the vehicle is raised or low- ered
2394-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
IS350/300/200t_U (OM53D76U)
This mode employs a radar sensor to detect the presence of vehicles up to
approximately 328 ft. (100 m) ahead, determines the current vehicle-to-vehicle
following distance, and operates to main tain a suitable following distance from
the vehicle ahead.
Note that vehicle-to-vehicle distance will close in when traveling on long downhill
slopes.
Example of constant speed cruising
When there are no vehicles ahead
The vehicle travels at the speed set by the driver. The desired vehicle-to-vehicle dis-
tance can also be set by operating the vehicle-to-vehicle distance button.
Example of deceleration cruising and follow-up cruising
When a preceding vehicle driving slower than the set speed appears
When a vehicle is detected running ahead of you, the system automatically deceler-
ates your vehicle. When a greater reduction in vehicle speed is necessary, the system
applies the brakes (the stop lights will come on at this time). The system will respond to
changes in the speed of the vehicle ahead in order to maintain the vehicle-to-vehicle
distance set by the driver. Approach warning warns you when the system cannot
decelerate sufficie ntly to prevent your vehicle from closing in on the vehicle ahead.
Example of acceleration
When there are no longer any preceding vehicles driving slower than the set
speed
The system accelerates until the set speed is reached. The system then returns to con-
stant speed cruising.
Driving in vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode
1
2
3
2554-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
IS350/300/200t_U (OM53D76U)
WARNING
■When using the intuitive parking assist
Observe the following precautions.
Failing to do so may result in the vehicle being unable to be driven safely and possibly
cause an accident.
●Do not use the sensor at speeds in excess of 6 mph (10 km/h).
●The sensors’ detection areas and reaction ti mes are limited. When moving forward or
reversing, check the areas surrounding the vehicle (especially the sides of the vehi-
cle) for safety, and drive slowly, using the brake to control the vehicle’s speed.
●Do not install accessories within the sensors’ detection areas.
■Sensor detection information
●The sensor’s detection areas are limited to the areas around the vehicle’s bumper.
●Certain vehicle conditions and surrounding environments, such as the following, may
affect the ability of the sensors to correctly detect obje cts. Pay particular attention in
the following situations. Failure to do so may result in the vehicle being driven
unsafely, possibly leading to an accident.
• There is dirt, snow or ice on the sensor . (Wiping the sensors will resolve this prob-
lem.)
• The sensor is frozen. (Thawing th e area will resolve this problem.)
In especially cold weather, if a sensor is frozen the screen may show an abnormal
display, or obstacles may not be detected.
• The sensor is covered in any way.
• The vehicle is leaning considerably to one side.
• On an extremely bumpy road, on an incline, on gravel, or on grass.
• The vicinity of the vehicle is noisy due to vehicle horns, motorcycle engines, air brakes of large vehicles, or other loud noises producing ultrasonic waves.
• There is another vehicle equipped with parking assist sensors in the vicinity.
• The sensor is coated with a sheet of spray or heavy rain.
• The vehicle is equipped with a fender pole or wireless antenna.
• Towing eyelets are installed.
• The bumper or sensor receives a strong impact.
• The vehicle is approaching a tall or curved curb.
• In harsh sunlight or intense cold weather.
• The area directly under the bumpers is not detected.
• If obstacles draw too close to the sensor.
• A non-genuine Lexus suspension (low ered suspension etc.) is installed.
• People may not be detected if they are wearing certain types of clothing.
In addition to the examples above, there are instances in which, because of their
shape, signs and other objects may be judged by a sensor to be closer than they are.
2894-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
IS350/300/200t_U (OM53D76U)
◆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 br aking force after the brake pedal is
depressed when the system detects a panic stop situation
◆VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
Helps the driver to contro l 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 pr event the drive wheels from spinning
when starting the vehicle or accelerating on slippery roads
◆Hill-start assist control
Helps to reduce the backward movement of the vehicle when starting on an
uphill
Driving assist systems
To help enhance driving safety and perf ormance, the following systems oper-
ate automatically in response to variou s driving situations. Be aware, however,
that these systems are supplementary and should not be relied upon too heav-
ily when operating the vehicle.