2018 Lexus GX460 trailer

GX460_OM_OM60Q09U_(U)
1814-1. Before driving
4
Driving
●Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
●Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before making a turn.
●Note that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer than the vehicle
wheels to the inside of the turn. Compensate by making a wider than normal
turning radius.
●Slow down before making a turn, in crosswinds, on wet or slippery surfaces,
etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can destabilize the trailer.
●Take care when passing other vehicles . Passing requires considerable dis-
tance. After passing a vehicle, do not fo rget the length of your trailer, and be
sure you have plenty of room before changing lanes.
●To maintain engine braking efficien cy and charging system performance
when using engine braking, do not put the transmission in D.
If in the S mode, the transmission shift range position must be in 5 or lower.
●Instability happens more frequently when descending steep or long downhill
grades. Before descending, slow down and downshift. Do not make sudden
downshifts while descending st eep or long downhill grades.
●Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the brakes too fre-
quently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and result in reduced braking
efficiency.
●Due to the added load of the trailer, yo ur vehicle’s engine may overheat on hot
days (at temperatures over 85°F [30°C]) when driving up a long or steep
grade. If the engine coolant temperat ure gauge indicates overheating, imme-
diately turn off the air conditioning (if in use), pull your vehicle off the road and
stop in a safe spot. ( →P. 564)

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GX460_OM_OM60Q09U_(U)4-1. Before driving
●Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and the trailer’s wheels
when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly, and put the transmission in P.
Avoid parking on a slope, but if unavoidable, do so only after performing the
following:
Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and trailer’s
wheels.
When the wheel blocks are in place, release the brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
Apply the parking brake firmly.
Shift into P and turn off the engine.
●When restarting afte r parking on a slope:
With the transmission in P, start the en gine. Be sure to keep the brake pedal
pressed.
Shift into 3, 2, L, or R (if reversing).
Release the parking brake and brake pedal, and slowly pull or back away
from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.
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5
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GX460_OM_OM60Q09U_(U)
1834-1. Before driving
4
Driving
■Matching trailer ball height to trailer coupler height
■Before towing
Check that the following conditions are met:
●Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are properly inflated. (→ P. 578)
●Trailer tires are inflated according to the trailer manufacturer’s recommendation.
●All trailer lights work as required by law.
●All lights work each time you connect them.
●The trailer ball is set at the proper height for the coupler on the trailer.
●The trailer is level when it is hitched.
Do not drive if the trailer is not level, and check for improper to ngue weight, overload-
ing, worn suspension, or other possible causes.
●The trailer cargo is securely loaded.
●The rear view mirrors conform to all applicable federal, state/provincial or local regula-
tions. If they do not, install rear view mirrors appropriate for towing purposes.
No matter which class of tow hitch applies, for a
more safe trailer hookup, the trailer ball setup
must be the proper height for the coupler on the
trailer.
Trailer ball
Coupler
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2

184
GX460_OM_OM60Q09U_(U)4-1. Before driving
■AVS (adaptive variable suspension system)
The suspension can be switched fo
r improvement in driveability. (→P. 341)
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped with any new power train components (such as an
engine, transmission, differential or wheel bearing), Lexus recommends that you do not
tow a trailer until the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km).
After the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km), you can start towing.
However, for the next 500 miles (800 km), drive the vehicle at a speed of less than
50 mph (80 km/h) when towing a trailer, and avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will require more frequent maintenance due to the addi-
tional load. (See “Owner’s Guide”, “Warranty and Services Guide”, “Owner’s Manual
Supplement” or “Warranty Booklet”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the towing ba ll and bracket after approximately 600 miles
(1000 km) of trailer towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds, passing ve hicles, rough roads, etc.) can adversely
affect handling of your vehicle and trailer, causing instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wh eel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer sway ing by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator pedal im mediately but very gradually to reduce
speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction with the st eering or brakes, your vehicle and trailer
should stabilize.

GX460_OM_OM60Q09U_(U)
1854-1. Before driving
4
Driving
●After the trailer swaying has stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occupants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer. Make sure the load has not shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle. Make sure the vehicle is not ov erloaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the speed at which trailer swaying occurred is beyond
the limit of your particular vehicle-trailer combination.
Drive at a lower speed to prevent instability. Remember that swaying of the towing vehi-
cle-trailer increases as speed increases.
CAUTION
■Trailer towing precautions
●To tow a trailer safely, use extreme care an d drive the vehicle in accordance with the
trailer’s characteristics and operating condit ions. Failure to do so could cause an acci-
dent resulting in death or serious injury. Vehicle stability and braking performance are
affected by trailer st ability, brake setting and performanc e, and the hitch. Your vehicle
will handle differently when towing a trailer.
●Set the vehicle height to the LO mode and turn off the rear height control air suspen-
sion when you connect a trailer, otherwise the vehicle height may change due to the
automatic leveling function, and you may ca tch part of your body in the vehicle,
resulting in an accident.

186
GX460_OM_OM60Q09U_(U)4-1. Before driving
CAUTION
■To avoid accident or injury
●Do not exceed the TWR, unbraked TWR, GCWR, GVWR or GAWR.
●If the gross trailer weight is
over 2000 lb. (907 kg), a sway control device with suffi-
cient capacity is required.
●If the gross trailer weight is over 5000 lb. (2268 kg), a weight distributing hitch with
sufficient capacity is required.
●Adjust the tongue weight within the approp riate range. Place heavier loads as close
to the trailer axle as possible.
●Do not exceed 65 mph (104 km/h), the posted towing speed limit or the speed limit
for your trailer as set forth in your trai ler owner’s manual, whichever is lowest. Slow
down sufficiently before making a turn, in crosswinds, on wet or slippery surface, etc.
to help avoid an accident. If you experien ce a vehicle-trailer instability from reducing
a certain speed, slow down and make sure you keep your vehicle speed under the
speed of which you experience the instability.
●Do not make jerky, abrupt or sharp turns.
●Do not apply the brakes suddenly as you ma y skid, resulting in jackknifing and loss of
vehicle control. This is especially true on wet or slippery surfaces.
●Do not exceed the trailer hitch assembly weight, gross vehicle weight, gross axle
weight and trailer tongue weight capacities.
●Do not use cruise control when towing.
●Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill grades. Do not
make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long downhill grades.
●Vehicle-trailer instability is more likely on steep long down hills. Before descending
steep or long downhill grades, slow down and downshift. Do not make sudden down-
shifts when descending steep or long do wnhill grades. Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or applying the brakes too frequently. This could cause the brakes to
overheat and result in reduced braking efficiency.

GX460_OM_OM60Q09U_(U)
1874-1. Before driving
4
Driving
CAUTION
■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 weight 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 chain securely attached to both the trailer
and the vehicle. If damage occurs to the co upling 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 splic e trailer lights. Directly splicin g trailer lights may damage your
vehicle’s electrical system and cause a malfunction.

GX460_OM_OM60Q09U_(U)
2094-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
●In the situations below, the system may not be able to correctly detect the surrounding
brightness levels, and may flas h or expose nearby pedestrians to the high beam. There-
fore, you should consider turning the high be am on or off manually rather than relying
on the Automatic High Beam system.
• In bad weather (rain, snow, fog, sandstorms etc.)
• The windshield is obscured by fog, mist, ice, dirt etc.
• The windshield is cracked or damaged.
• The inside rear view mirror or ca mera sensor is deformed or dirty.
• The camera sensor temperature is extremely high.
• Surrounding brightness levels are equal to th ose of headlights, tail lights or fog lights.
• Vehicles ahead have headlights that are either switched off, dirty, are changing color,
or are not aimed properly.
• When driving through an area of intermittently changing brightness and darkness
• When frequently and repeated ly driving ascending/descending roads, or roads with
rough, bumpy or uneven surfaces (such as stone-paved roads, gravel tracks etc.)
• When frequently and repeatedly taking curves or driving on a winding road
• There is a highly reflective object ahead of the vehicle, such as a sign or a mirror.
• The back of a vehicle ahead is highly re flective, such as a container on a truck.
• The vehicle’s headlights are damaged or dirty.
• The vehicle is listing or tilting, due to a flat tire, a trailer being towed etc.
• The Automatic High Beam indicator is flashing.
• The high beam and low beam are repeated ly being switched between in an abnor-
mal manner.
• The driver believes that the high beam may be causing problems or distress to other
drivers or pedestrians nearby.
■If the Automatic High Be am indicator flashes...
It may indicate a malfun ction in the system. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Temporary lowering sensor sensitivity
The sensitivity of the sensor can be temporarily lowered.
To lower the sensitivity, push and hold the “A UTO” button on the inside rear view mirror
for 15 to 20 seconds, and release. The indica tor light on the inside rear view mirror will
flash to indicate that the sensitivity has been lowered.
When the engine switch is turned off, the se nsitivity will be returned to its normal level.
■Customization that can be conf igured at your Lexus dealer
The Automatic High Beam can be turned off.