2018 LEXUS LS500H steering

3816-2. Maintenance
LS500h_OM_OM50F42U_(U) 6
Maintenance and care Seats • Do the seat controls
operate properly?
Steering wheel • Does the steering
wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steering
wheel have the cor-
rect amount of free
play?
•There should not be
any strange sounds
coming from the
steering wheel.
Vehicle exterior Items Check points
Doors/trunk • Do the doors/trunk
operate smoothly?
Engine hood •Does the engine
hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks •There should not be
any signs of fluid
leakage after the
vehicle has been
parked.Items Check points
Tires • Is the tire inflation
pressure correct?
• The tires should not
be damaged or
excessively worn.
• Have the tires been
rotated according to
the maintenance
schedule?
•The wheel nuts
should not be loose.
Windshield wip-
ers • The wiper blades
should not show any
signs of cracking,
splitting, wear, con-
tamination or defor-
mation.
• The wiper blades
should clear the
windshield without
streaking or skip-
ping.Items Check points

4217-1. Essential information
LS500h_OM_OM50F42U_(U) 7
When trouble arises press it briefly 3 times or more in
succession.
5 Stop the vehicle in a safe place by
the road. WARNING■
If the hybrid system has to be turned
off while driving
Power assist for the steering wheel will
be lost, making th e steering wheel
heavier to turn. Decelerate as much as
possible before turning off the hybrid sys-
tem.

422 7-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LS500h_OM_OM50F42U_(U) 7-2.Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs to be
towed If towing is ne cessary, we recom-
mend having your vehicle towed by
your Lexus dealer or commercial
towing service, using a wheel-lift
type truck or flatbed truck.
Use a safety chain system for all
towing, and abide by all state/pro-
vincial and local laws. WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury. ■
When towing the vehicle 
2WD models
Be sure to transport the vehicle with all
four wheels raised off the ground. If the
vehicle is towed with the tires contacting
the ground, the driv etrain and related
parts may be damaged, an accident may
occur due to a change in direction of the
vehicle or electricity generated by the
operation of the motor may cause a fire
to occur depending on the nature of the
damage or malfunction. 
AWD models
Be sure to transport the vehicle with all
four wheels raised off the ground. If the
vehicle is towed with the tires contacting
the ground, the driv etrain or related
parts may be damaged, the vehicle may
fly off the truck, or electricity generated
by the operation of the motor may cause
a fire to occur depending on the nature
of the damage or malfunction.
■
While towing ●
When towing using cables or chains,
avoid sudden starts, etc. which place
excessive stress on the towing eyelets,
cables or chains. The towing eyelets,
cables or chains may become dam-
aged, broken debris may hit people,
and cause serious damage.
●
Make sure to disable all functions of
the vehicle height control of the elec-
tronically modulated air suspension.
Otherwise, the vehicle height may
change and part of your body may be
caught under the vehicle, possibly
causing injury. ( → P.301)
●
Do not turn the power switch off.
This may lead to an accident as the
rear wheels will be locked by the park-
ing lock.
Also, there is a possibility that the
steering wheel is locked and cannot be
operated.

4237-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LS500h_OM_OM50F42U_(U) 7
When trouble arises
In the following situations, it is not pos-
sible to be towed by another vehicle
using cables or chains, as the rear
wheels may be locked due to the park-
ing lock. Contact your Lexus dealer or
commercial towing service.
 There is a malfunction in the shift control system. ( → P.171, 437)
 There is a malfunction in the immo-
bilizer system. ( → P.66)
 There is a malfunction in the smart
access system with push-button
start. ( → P.445)
 The 12-volt battery is discharged.
( → P.447)
The following may indicate a problem
with your transmission. Contact your
Lexus dealer or commercial towing
service before towing.
 The hybrid system warning message
is shown on the multi-information
display and the vehicle does not
move.
 The vehicle makes an abnormal
sound.
Do not tow with a sling-type truck to
prevent body damage.WARNING■
Installing towing eyelets to the vehi-
cle
Make sure that towing eyelets are
installed securely.
If not securely installed, towing eyelets
may come loose during towing.
NOTICE■
To prevent damage to the vehicle
when towing using a wheel-lift type
truck●
Do not tow the vehicle from the rear
when the power switch is off. The
steering lock mechanism is not strong
enough to hold the front wheels
straight.●
When raising the vehicle, ensure ade-
quate ground clearance for towing at
the opposite end of the raised vehicle.
Without adequate clearance, the vehi-
cle could be damaged while being
towed.■
To prevent damage to the vehicle
when towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck, either
from the front or rear.
■
To prevent damage to the vehicle
during emergency towing
Do not secure cables or chains to the
suspension components.
Situations when it is not possible
to be towed by another vehicle Situations when it is necessary to
contact dealers before towing
Towing with a sling-type truck

4257-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LS500h_OM_OM50F42U_(U) 7
When trouble arises wheels, drive train, axles, steering and
brakes must be in good condition.
To have your vehicle towed by another
vehicle, the towing eyelet must be
installed to your vehicle. Install the tow-
ing eyelet using the following proce-
dure.
1 Take out the phillips-head screw-
driver and towing eyelet.
Phillips-head screwdriver
Towing eyelet
2 Remove the eyelet cover using a
flathead screwdriver.To protect the bodywork, place a rag
between the screwdriver and the vehicle
body as shown in the illustration. 3 Insert the towing eyelet into the
hole and tighten partially by hand.
4 Tighten down the towing eyelet
securely using a phillips-head
screwdriver or hard metal bar.
5 Securely attach cables or chains to
the towing eyelet. Take care not to damage the vehicle body.
6 Enter the vehicle being towed and
start the hybrid system. If the hybrid system does not start, turn the
power switch to ON mode.
7 Shift the shift position to N and
release the parking brake. ■
While towing
If the hybrid system is off, the power assist
for the brakes and steering will not function,
making steering and braking more difficult.Emergency towing procedure
A
B

430 7-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LS500h_OM_OM50F42U_(U) ■
Electric power steering system warning light (warning buzzer)
■
Low fuel level warning light
■
Driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt reminder light (warning buzzer) *
*
: Driver’s seat belt warning buzzer:
The driver’s seat belt warning buzzer sounds to al ert the driver that his or her seat belt is not
fastened. Once the power switch is turned to ON mode, the buzzer sounds for 6 seconds.
If the vehicle reaches a speed of 12 mph (20 km/h), the buzzer sounds once. If the seat belt
is still unfastened after 24 seconds, the buzzer will sound intermittently for 6 seconds. Then,
if the seat belt is st ill unfastened, the buzzer will sound in a different tone for 90 more sec-
onds.
Front passenger’s seat belt warning buzzer:
The front passenger’s seat belt warning buzzer sounds to alert the front passenger that his
or her seat belt is not fastened. The buzzer sounds once if the vehicle reaches a speed of 12
mph (20 km/h). If the seat belt is still unfastened after 24 seconds, the buzzer will sound
intermittently for 6 seconds. Th en, if the seat belt is still un fastened, the buzzer will sound in
a different tone for 90 more seconds. Warning light Details/Actions(red)
or (yellow)
Indicates a malfunction in the EPS (Electric Power Steering) system
→ Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
Warning light Details/Actions
Indicates that remaining fuel is approximately 3.4 gal. (13 L, 2.8 Imp.
gal.) or less
→ Refuel the vehicle.
Warning light Details/Actions
Warns the driver and/or front pass enger to fasten their seat belts
→ Fasten the seat belt.
If the front passenger’s seat is occupied, the front passenger’s seat
belt also needs to be fastened to make the warning light (warning
buzzer) turn off.

4357-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LS500h_OM_OM50F42U_(U) 7
When trouble arises If it is, tighten it securely.
The light will go off after several driving
trips.
If the light does not go off even after several
trips, contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible. ■
Electric power steering system warning
light (warning buzzer)
When the 12-volt battery charge becomes
insufficient or the voltage temporarily
drops, the electric po wer steering system
warning light may come on and the warning
buzzer may sound. ■
When the tire pressure warning light
comes on
Inspect the tires to check if a tire is punc-
tured.
If a tire is punctured: → P.442
If none of the tires are punctured:
Turn the power switch off then turn it to ON
mode. Check if the ti re pressure warning
light comes on or blinks. 
If the tire pressure wa rning light blinks for
approximately 1 minute then stays on
There may be a malfunction in the tire
pressure warning syst em. Have the vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer immedi-
ately. 
If the tire pressure warning light comes
on
1 After the temperature of the tires has
lowered sufficiently, check the inflation
pressure of each tire and adjust them to
the specified level.
2 If the warning light does not turn off
even after several minutes have
elapsed, check that the inflation pres-
sure of each tire is at the specified level
and perform initialization. ( → P.401)
■
The tire pressure warning light may
come on due to natural causes
The tire pressure wa rning light may come
on due to natural causes such as natural air
leaks and tire inflation pressure changes
caused by temperature. In this case, adjust-
ing the tire inflation pressure will turn off the
warning light (after a few minutes). ■
Conditions that the tire pressure warn-
ing system may not function properly
→ P.398
WARNING■
If both the ABS and the brake system
warning lights remain on
Stop your vehicle in a safe place immedi-
ately and contact your Lexus dealer.
The vehicle will become extremely
unstable during br aking, and the ABS
system may fail, which could cause an
accident resulting in death or serious
injury. ■
When the electric power steering
system warning light comes on
When the light comes on yellow, the
assist to the power st eering is restricted.
When the light comes on red, the assist
to the power steering is lost and handling
operations of the steering wheel become
extremely heavy.
When steering wheel operations are
heavier than usual, grip the steering
wheel firmly and operate it using more
force than usual. ■
If the tire pressure warning light
comes on
Be sure to observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so could cause a loss of
vehicle control and result in death or
serious injury.
●
Decelerate to the lowest appropriate
speed as soon as possible. Do not
drive over 50 mph (80 km/h).
●
Check and adjust the tire inflation
pressure immediately.
●
If the tire pressure warning light comes
on even after tire inflation pressure
adjustment, it is prob able that you have
a flat tire. Have the flat tire replaced by
the nearest Lexus dealer.

436 7-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LS500h_OM_OM50F42U_(U) WARNING●
Avoid abrupt maneuvering and brak-
ing.
If the vehicle tires deteriorate, you
could lose control of the steering
wheel or the brakes.■
If a blowout or sudden air leakage
should occur
The tire pressure warning system may
not activate immediately. ■
Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthly when
cold and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label (tire and load
information label). (I f your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indi-
cated on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label [tire and load
information label], yo u should determine
the proper tire infl ation pressure for
those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS-tire pressure
warning system) that illuminates a low
tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warn-
ing light) when one or more of your tires
is significantly under-inflated. Accord-
ingly, when the low tire pressure telltale
(tire pressure warnin g light) illuminates,
you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire
to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel effi-
ciency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping abil-
ity. Please note that the TPMS (tire pressure
warning system) is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the
driver’s responsibility to maintain correct
tire pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger illumina-
tion of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale
(tire pressure warning light).
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction indicator to indicate when
the system is not operating properly. The
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure telltale (tire pres-
sure warning light) . When the system
detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and
then remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon subse-
quent vehicle start-ups as long as the
malfunction exists. When the malfunction
indicator is illuminated, the system may
not be able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of
replacement or alternate tires or wheels
on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
(tire pressure warning system) from func-
tioning properly. Always check the
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction telltale after replacing one
or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alternate
tires and wheels allow the TPMS (tire
pressure warning system) to continue to
function properly.
NOTICE
■
To ensure the tire pressure warning
system operates properly
Do not install tires with different specifi-
cations or makers, as the tire pressure
warning system may not operate prop-
erly.