2018 Lexus LC500h traction control

541-3. Hybrid system
LC500_LC500h_OM_OM11405U_(U)
1-3.Hybrid system
The illustration is an example for explanation and may differ from the actual item.
Gasoline engine
Electric motor (traction motor)
■When stopped/during start off
The gasoline engine stops
* when the
vehicle is stopped. During start off, the
electric motor (traction motor) drives
the vehicle. When the accelerator
pedal is only lightly depressed, such as
when traveling on a level surface or down a gentle slope, the engine is
stopped* and the electr
ic motor (trac-
tion motor) is used.
When the shift position is in N, the
hybrid battery (traction battery) is not
being charged.
Hybrid system features (LC500h)
Your vehicle is a hybrid vehicle. It has characteristics different from conven-
tional vehicles. Be sure you are closely familiar with the characteristics of your
vehicle, and operate it with care.
The hybrid system combines the use of a gasoline engine and an electric motor
(traction motor) according to driving conditions, improving fuel efficiency and
reducing exhaust emissions.
In addition to the conventional system, exclusive control is performed for four
driving conditions (starting off, acce lerating, low-speed driving and high-
speed cruising) to optimize the drive fo rce and fuel efficiency, allowing for a
more powerful drive and a higher fuel efficiency.
System components
A
B

571-3. Hybrid system
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For safety and security
The illustration is an example for explanation and may differ from the actual item.
Warning label
Power control unit
Electric motor (traction motor)
Hybrid battery (traction battery)
Service plug
High voltage cables (orange)
Air conditioning compressor
■Running out of fuel
When the vehicle has run out of fuel and the
hybrid system cannot be started, refuel the
vehicle with at least enough gasoline to
make the low fuel level warning light
(  P.338) go off. If there is only a small
amount of fuel, the hybrid system may not
be able to start. (The standard amount of fuel is about 3.3 gal. [12.6 L, 2.8 Imp.gal.],
when the vehicle is on a level surface. This
value may vary when the vehicle is on a
slope. Add extra fuel when the vehicle is
inclined.)
■Electromagnetic waves
●High voltage parts and cables on hybrid
vehicles incorporate electromagnetic
Hybrid system precautions (LC500h)
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 th e warning labels attached to the vehi-
cle.
System components
A
B
C
D
E
F
G

902-1. Instrument cluster
LC500_LC500h_OM_OM11405U_(U)
Center Display
Press the “MENU” button on the Remote Touch, and then select on the menu
screen.
If the “Trip Information” or “History” screen is displayed, select “Energy”.
Multi-information display
Press or of the meter control switch es and select , and then press or
to select the energy monitor display.
Energy monitor (LC500h)
When the vehicle is powered by the electric motor (traction motor)
Center DisplayMulti-information display
When the vehicle is powered by both the gasoline engine and the electric motor (traction
motor)
Center DisplayMulti-information display

1324-1. Before driving
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WARNING
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with
the location of the brake and accelera-
tor pedals to avoid depressing the
wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelera- tor 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
operating 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
the brake and accelerator pedals
properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal
using your left foot may delay
response in an emergency, resulting in
an accident.
●LC500h: The driver should pay extra
attention to pedestrians when the vehi-
cle is powered only by the electric
motor (traction motor). As there is no
engine noise, the pedestrians may mis-
judge the vehicle’s movement. Even
though the vehicle is equipped with the
vehicle proximity notification system,
drive with care as pedestrians in the
vicinity may still not notice the vehicle if
the surrounding area is noisy.
●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 flamma-
ble 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, 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 vehi-
cle in the normal way: P.326
●Use engine braking (downshift) to
maintain a safe speed when driving
down a steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously may
cause the brakes to overheat and lose
effectiveness. ( P.149, 155)
●Do not adjust the positions of the
steering wheel, the seat, or the inside
or outside rear view mirrors while driv-
ing.
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. Even if the legal speed limit per-
mits 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 re sult in tire fail-
ure, 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.
■When driving on slippery road sur-
faces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and
steering may cause tire slippage and
reduce your ability to control the vehi-
cle.
●Sudden acceleration, engine braking
due to shifting, or changes in engine
speed could cause the vehicle to skid.

1474-2. Driving procedures
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4
Driving
■When the shift control system malfunc-
tions
When attempting to turn the power switch
off while there is a malfunction in the shift
control system, the power switch mode may
change to ACCESSORY mode. In this
case, ACCESSORY mode may be turned
off by applying the parking brake and press-
ing the power switch again. If there is a mal-
function in the system, have the vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer immedi-
ately.
Turns EV drive mode on/off
When EV drive mode is turned on, the EV
drive mode indicator will come on. Press-
ing the switch when in EV drive mode will
return the vehicle to normal driving (using
the gasoline engine and electric motor
[traction motor]).
■Situations in which EV drive mode can-
not be turned on
It may not be possible to turn EV drive
mode on in the following situations. If it can-
not be turned on, a buzzer will sound and a
message will be shown on the multi-infor-
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery discharge
●Do not leave the power switch in
ACCESSORY or ON mode for long
periods of time without the hybrid sys-
tem on.
●If “ACCESSORY” or “IGNITION
ON” is displayed on the meter, the
power switch is not off. Exit the vehicle
after turning the power switch off.
EV drive mode (LC500h)
In EV drive mode, electric power is
supplied by the hybrid battery
(traction battery), and only the
electric motor (traction motor) is
used to drive the vehicle.
This mode allows you to drive in res-
idential areas early in the morning
and late at night, or in indoor park-
ing lots etc. without concern for
noises and gas emissions.
However, when the vehicle proxim-
ity notification system is active, the
vehicle may produce sound.
Operating instructions

1574-2. Driving procedures
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Driving
■Customization
Settings (e.g. Reverse warning buzzer) can
be changed.
(Customizable features: P.391)
Shift lever
Operate the shift lever gently and securely
in the direction of the arrow on the shift
position indicator.
To shift to N, slide the shift lever in the
direction of the arrow and hold it.
Release the shift lever after each shifting
operation to allow it to return to its regular
position ( ).
Shifting to M is only possible when the shift
position is in D.
When shifting from P to N, D or R, from N,
D or R to P, from D to R, or from R to D,
ensure that the brake pedal is being
depressed and the vehicle is stationary.
Shift position indicator
Meter display:
The current shift position is highlighted.
When any shift position other than D or M
is selected, the arrow toward M and M
position indicator are displayed in gray.
WARNING
■When driving on slippery road sur-
faces
Do not accelerate or shift the shift posi-
tion suddenly.
Sudden changes in engine braking may
cause the vehicle to spin or skid, resulting
in an accident.
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction battery)
charge
If the shift position is in N, the hybrid bat-
tery (traction battery) will not be
charged. To help prevent the battery
from discharging, avoid leaving the N
position selected for an extended period
of time.
■Situations where sh ift control system
malfunctions are possible
If any of the following situations occurs,
shift control system malfunctions are
possible.
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe
place on level ground, apply the parking
brake, and then contact your Lexus
dealer.
●When the warning message indicating
the shift control syst em appears on the
multi-information display.
●The display indicates that no shift posi-
tion is selected for more than a few
seconds.
Shifting the shift lever
A
B

2274-5. Using the driving support systems
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Driving
vehicle speed and that helps reduce
the possibility of further damage due to
a secondary collision
■TRAC (Traction Control)
Helps to maintain drive power and pre-
vent the drive wheels from spinning
when starting the vehicle or accelerat-
ing on slippery roads
■Hill-start assist control
Helps to reduce the backward move-
ment of the vehicle when starting on an
uphill
■VGRS (Variable Gear Ratio Steer-
ing) (if equipped)
Adjusts the front wheel turning angle in
accordance with the vehicle speed and
steering wheel movement
■DRS (Dynamic Rear Steering) (if
equipped)
Contributes to the turning characteris-
tics and responsiveness of the vehicle
by slightly adjusting the rear wheel
angle of the vehicle in accordance with
steering wheel movement
■EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce
the amount of effort needed to turn the
steering wheel
■AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspen-
sion System)
By independently controlling the
damping force of the shock absorbers
for each of the 4 wheels according to
the road and driving conditions, this
system helps riding comfort with supe-
rior vehicle stabilit y, and helps good vehicle posture.
Also, the damping force changes
depending on the selected driving
mode. (
P.208)
■LDH (Lexus Dynamic Handling
system) (if equipped)
Provides integrated control of the
VGRS, DRS and EPS. Contributes to
turning characteristics at low speeds,
responsiveness at medium speeds and
safety at high speeds by controlling the
steering angle of the front and rear
wheels in accordance with the steering
wheel operation and vehicle speed
■VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Inte-
grated Management)
Provides integrated control of the
ABS, brake assist, TRAC, VSC, hill-
start assist control, EPS, VGRS (if
equipped) and DRS (if equipped) sys-
tems
Helps to maintain vehicle stability when
swerving on slippery road surfaces by
controlling the brakes, engine system> output, steering assist (if
equipped), and steering ratio (if
equipped)
■When the TRAC/VSC/ABS systems are
operating
The slip indicator light will flash while the
TRAC/VSC/ABS systems are operating.

2284-5. Using the driving support systems
LC500_LC500h_OM_OM11405U_(U)
■Disabling the TRAC system
If the vehicle gets stuck in mud, dirt or snow,
the TRAC system may reduce power from
the engine to the wheels.
Pressing to turn the system 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 .
“Traction Control Turned Off” will be shown
on the multi-information display.
Press again to turn the system back
on.
■Disabling both TRAC and VSC systems
To turn the TRAC and VSC systems off,
press and hold for more than 3 sec-
onds while the vehicle is stopped.
The VSC OFF indicator light will come on
and the “Traction Cont rol Turned Off” will
be shown on the multi-information display.
*
Press again to turn the systems back
on.
*: Pre-collision brake assist, pre-collision braking and steering control (performed
through cooperative control of PCS [Pre-Collision System] and LDH) (if
equipped) will also be disabled. The pre-
collision system warning light will come
on and a message will be displayed on the
multi-information display. (
P.190)
■When the message is displayed on the
multi-information display showing that
TRAC has been disabled even if the
has not been pressed
TRAC cannot be oper ated. Contact your
Lexus dealer.
■Operating conditions of hill-start assist
control
When the following four conditions are met,
the hill-start assist control will operate:
●The shift position is in a position other
than P or N (when starting off for-
ward/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 position is shifted to P or N.
●The accelerator pedal is depressed.
●The parking brake is engaged.
●2 seconds at maximum elapsed after the
brake pedal is released.
■VGRS is disabled when
VGRS may stop operat ing in the following
situations.
In this event, the steering wheel may move
from its straight forward position, but it will
return when the system restarts.
●When the steering wheel is operated for
an extended period of time while the
vehicle is stopped or is moving very
slowly
(on vehicles with LDH, DRS is disabled
together with VGRS)
●When the steering wheel has been held
fully to the left or right