
96 3-1. Key information
LS500_OM_(U)_1810 3-1.Key information
The following keys  are provided with 
the vehicle.
Electronic keys• Operating the smart access system with 
push-button start ( 
P.111 )
• Operating the wireless remote control 
function ( 
P.98 )
Mechanical keys
Key number plate
Card key (electronic key) (if 
equipped)Operating the smart access system with 
push-button start (  P.111)
■
Card key (if equipped)
●
The card key is not waterproof.
●
The mechanical key that  is stored inside 
the card key should be used only if a 
problem arises, such as when the card  key does not operate properly. ●
If it is difficult to take out the mechanical 
key, push down the lock release button 
using a pen tip etc. If it is still difficult to 
pull it out, use a coin etc. ●
To store the mechanical key in the card 
key, insert it while pressing the lock 
release button.
●
If the battery cover is not installed and the 
battery falls out or if the battery was 
removed because the key got wet, rein-
stall the battery with the positive terminal 
facing the Lexus emblem.
■
When riding in an aircraft
When bringing an electronic key onto an 
aircraft, make sure you do not press any 
buttons on the electronic key while inside 
the aircraft cabin. If you are carrying an 
electronic key in your bag etc., ensure that 
the buttons are not likely to be pressed acci-
dentally. Pressing a button may cause the 
electronic key to em it radio waves that 
could interfere with the operation of the air-
craft.
■
Electronic key battery depletion
●
The standard battery life is 1 to 2 years. 
(The card key battery life is about a year 
and a half.)
●
If the battery becomes low, an alarm will 
sound in the cabin and a message will be 
shown on the multi-information display 
when the engine is stopped.Keys
The keys
A
B
C
D 

1013-2. Opening, closing and  locking the doors and trunk
LS500_OM_(U)_1810 3
Before driving
To prevent unintended triggering of the 
alarm, unlock the doors using the wireless 
remote control and open and close a door 
once after the settings have been changed. 
(If a door is not opened within 60 seconds 
after   is pressed, the doors will be 
locked again and the alarm will automati-
cally be set.)
In a case that the alarm is triggered, imme-
diately stop the alarm. (  P.65)■
Impact detection door lock release sys-
tem
In the event that the vehicle is subject to a 
strong impact, all the doors are unlocked. 
Depending on the force of the impact or the 
type of accident, however, the system may 
not operate.
■
Operation signals
A buzzer sounds and the emergency flash-
ers flash to indicate that the doors have 
been locked/unlocked. (Locked: once; 
Unlocked: twice)
A buzzer sounds to indicate that the win-
dows and moon roof or panoramic moon 
roof are operating.
■
Security feature
If a door is not opened  within approximately  60 seconds after the vehicle is unlocked, 
the security feature automatically locks the 
vehicle again. ■
When the doors cannot be locked by the 
lock sensor on the upper part of the 
door handle
When the doors cannot be locked even if 
the lock sensor on th e upper part of the 
door handle is touched by a finger, touch 
the lock sensor with the palm.
If you are wearing gloves, remove them.
■
Open door warning buzzer
If an attempt to lock the doors is made when 
a door is not fully closed, a buzzer sounds 
continuously for 5 seconds. Fully close the 
door to stop the buzzer, and lock the vehi-
cle once more. ■
Setting the alarm
Locking the doors will set the alarm system. 
(  P.65) ■
Conditions affecting the operation of 
the smart access system with push-but-
ton start or wireless remote control
 P.113 ■
If the smart access system with 
push-button start or  the wireless remote 
control does not operate properly
Use the mechanical key to lock and unlock 
the doors. (  P.433)
Replace the key battery with a new one if it 
is depleted. (  P.399)
■
If the battery is discharged
The doors cannot be locked and unlocked 
using the smart access system with 
push-button start or wireless remote con-
trol. Lock or unlock the doors using the 
mechanical key. (  P.433)Multi-information 
display/Beep Unlocking function
Exterior: Beeps 3 
times
Interior: Pings once Holding the driver’s 
door handle unlocks 
only the driver’s 
door.
Holding any of the 
passenger door 
handles unlocks all 
the doors.
Exterior: Beeps 
twice
Interior: Pings once Holding a door han-
dle unlocks all the 
doors. 

106 3-2. Opening, closing and  locking the doors and trunk
LS500_OM_(U)_1810 ■
Trunk opener switch
Press the trunk opener switch. If the vehicle is equipped with a power 
trunk opener and closer, the trunk lid will 
fully open.WARNING●
On an incline, the trunk lid may sud-
denly shut after it opens automatically. 
Make sure the trunk  lid is fully open 
and secure before using the trunk.●
In the following situations, the power 
trunk opener and closer may detect an 
abnormality and automatic operation 
may be stopped. In this case, the trunk 
lid has to be operated manually. Take 
extra care in this situation, as the 
stopped trunk lid ma y suddenly shut, 
causing an accident.
• When the trunk lid contacts an obsta-
cle
• When the battery voltage suddenly 
drops, such as when the engine switch 
is turned to IGNITION ON mode or 
the engine is started during automatic 
operation●
Do not attach any accessories other 
than genuine Lexus parts to the trunk 
lid. The power trunk opener and closer 
may not operate, caus ing itself to mal-
function, or the trun k lid may suddenly 
shut again after it is opened.■
Hands Free Power Trunk Lid (if 
equipped)
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause serious injury.
●
Exhaust gasses cause the exhaust 
pipes to become quite hot. When 
operating the Hands Free Power Trunk 
Lid, be careful not to touch the exhaust 
pipe.
●
Do not operate the Hands Free Power 
Trunk Lid if there is little space under 
the rear bumper.
■
Jam protection function
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause serious injury.
●
Never use any part of your body to 
intentionally activate the jam protec-
tion function. ●
The jam protection function may not 
work if something gets caught just 
before the trunk lid fully closes. Be 
careful not to catch fingers or anything 
else in the trunk lid. ●
The jam protection function may not 
work depending on the shape of the 
object that is caught. Be careful not to 
catch fingers or anything else.
NOTICE■
To prevent trunk easy closer malfunc-
tions
Do not apply force to the trunk lid while 
the trunk easy closer is operating. ■
To prevent damage to the power 
trunk opener and closer (vehicles 
with power trunk opener and closer) ●
Make sure that there is no luggage or 
snow on the trunk lid  before operating 
the power trunk opener and closer. In 
addition, make sure that there is no ice 
between the trunk lid and frame that 
prevents movement of the trunk lid. 
Operating the power trunk opener 
and closer when excessive load is 
present on the trunk lid may cause a 
malfunction.
●
Do not apply excessive force to the 
trunk lid while the power trunk opener 
and closer is operating.
Opening/closing the trunk 

1073-2. Opening, closing and  locking the doors and trunk
LS500_OM_(U)_1810 3
Before driving ■
Smart access system with 
push-button start
While carrying the electronic key, 
press the button. If the vehicle is equipped with a power 
trunk opener and closer, the trunk lid will 
fully open.
If the button is presse d while the trunk lid is 
opening, the trunk lid will stop moving.
When all the doors are unlocked using 
one of the following  methods, the trunk 
can be opened without the electronic 
key:
 Entry function
 Wireless remote control
 Door lock switches
 Automatic door unlocking system
 Mechanical key
■
Wireless remote control
Press and hold the switch. A buzzer sounds.
If the vehicle is equipped with a power 
trunk opener and closer, the trunk lid will 
fully open.
If the button is presse d while the trunk lid is 
opening, the trunk lid  will stop moving.
■
Hands Free Power Trunk Lid (if 
equipped)
1 While carrying an electronic key, 
stand within the smart access sys-
tem with push-button start opera-
tion area, approximately 11.8 to 19.7 
in. (30 to 50 cm) from the rear 
bumper.
Hands Free Power Trunk Lid sensor
Hands Free Power Trunk Lid opera-
tion detection area
Smart access system with 
push-button start operation detec-
tion area (  P.112) A
B
C 

108 3-2. Opening, closing and  locking the doors and trunk
LS500_OM_(U)_1810 2 Perform a kick operation by mov-
ing your foot to within approxi-
mately 3.9 in. (10 cm) of the rear 
bumper and then pulling it back.
• Perform the entire kick operation 
within 1 second.
• The trunk lid will not start operating 
while a foot is detected under the 
rear bumper.
• Operate the Hands Free Power 
Trunk Lid without contacting the 
rear bumper with your foot.
• If another electronic key is in the 
cabin or trunk, it may take slightly 
longer than normal for the opera-
tion to begin.
Hands Free Power Trunk Lid sensor
Hands Free Power Trunk Lid opera-
tion detection area
3 When the sensor detects that your 
foot is pulled back, a buzzer will 
sound and the trunk will automati-
cally fully open/close.If a foot is moved under the rear bumper 
while the trunk lid is opening, the trunk lid 
will stop moving.
If a foot is moved under the rear bumper 
while the trunk lid is closing, the trunk lid 
will open. ■
Trunk closer switch (vehicles with 
power trunk opener and closer)
Press the trunk closer switch. A buzzer will sound and the trunk lid will 
fully close.
Pressing the switch while the trunk lid is 
closing opens the trunk lid again.
■
Trunk grip
Using the trunk grip, pull down the 
trunk lid without applying sideways 
force and push the trunk lid down from 
the outside to close it.
■
Trunk lid light/trunk light
●
The trunk lid light/trunk light turns on 
when the trunk is opened.
●
If the trunk lid light/trunk light is left on 
when the engine switch  is turned off, the 
light will go off automatically after 20 
minutes.
■
Trunk easy closer
In the event that the trun k lid is left slightly 
open, the trunk easy closer will automati-A
B 

1093-2. Opening, closing and  locking the doors and trunk
LS500_OM_(U)_1810 3
Before driving cally close it to the fully closed position. ●
The trunk easy closer will operate 
regardless of the en gine switch mode.●
If the trunk easy closer does not operate, 
open the trunk to the half open position 
or more and then close it.■
Function to prevent the trunk being 
locked with the electronic key inside●
When all doors are locked, closing the 
trunk lid with the electr onic key left inside 
the trunk will sound an alarm.
In this case, the trunk lid can be opened 
pressing the trunk release button on the 
trunk lid.●
If the spare electronic key is put in the 
trunk with all the doors locked, the key 
confinement prevention function is acti-
vated so the trunk can be opened. In 
order to prevent theft, take all electronic 
keys with you when  leaving the vehicle.●
If the electronic key is  put in the trunk with 
all the doors locked, the key may not be 
detected depending  on the location of 
the key and the surrounding radio wave 
conditions. In this  case, the key confine-
ment prevention function cannot be acti-
vated, causing the doors to lock when the 
trunk is closed. Make sure to check 
where the key is before closing the trunk.●
The key confinement prevention function 
cannot be activated if any one of the 
doors is unlocked. In this case, open the 
trunk using the trunk opener.■
Overload protection function (vehicles 
with power trunk opener and closer)
The trunk lid will not  operate when exces-
sive load is present on the top of the trunk 
lid.
■
Fall-down protection function (vehicles 
with power trunk opener and closer)
While the trunk lid is opening automatically, 
applying excessive force to it will stop the 
opening operation to  prevent the trunk lid 
from rapidly falling down.
■
Jam protection function (vehicles with 
power trunk opener and closer)
While the trunk lid is closing automatically, 
the trunk lid will stop closing and open if  something gets caught. ■
Internal trunk release lever
The trunk lid can be opened by pulling the 
glow-in-the-dark lever located on the inside 
of the trunk lid to the side.
The lever will continue to glow for some 
time after the trunk lid is closed.
■
Using the mechanical key
The trunk can be also opened using the 
mechanical key. (  P.433)
If the trunk is unlocked using the mechani-
cal key, the power trunk lid and trunk easy 
closer will not be operational. To return 
them to an operational state, fully close the 
trunk lid by hand. ■
If the smart access system with 
push-button start or  the wireless remote 
control does not operate properly
Use the mechanical key to unlock the trunk. 
(  P.433)
Replace the key battery with a new one if it 
is depleted. ■
Hands Free Power Trunk Lid operating 
conditions (if equipped) ●
When the Hands Free Power Trunk Lid 
(kick sensor) operatio n setting is turned 
on and the engine switch is turned off
●
When an electronic key is carried within 
the operation range
■
Situations in which the Hands Free 
Power Trunk Lid may not operate prop-
erly (if equipped)
In the following situations, the Hands Free 
Power Trunk Lid may not operate properly:
●
When a foot remain s under the rear 
bumper
●
If the rear bumper is strongly hit with a 
foot or is touched for a while 

1133-2. Opening, closing and  locking the doors and trunk
LS500_OM_(U)_1810 3
Before driving take some time to unlock the doors.
• The electronic key has been left in an 
area of approximately  6 ft. (2 m) of the 
outside of the vehicle for 10 minutes or 
longer.
• The smart access system with push-but-
ton start has not been used for 5 days or 
longer.●
If the smart access system with push-but-
ton start has not been  used for 14 days or 
longer, the doors cannot be unlocked at 
any doors except the driver’s door. In this 
case, take hold of the driver’s door han-
dle, or use the wireless remote control or 
the mechanical key, to unlock the doors.■
Turning an electronic key to bat-
tery-saving mode
When battery-saving mode is set, battery 
depletion is minimized by stopping the elec-
tronic key from re ceiving radio waves.
Press   twice while pressing and holding 
. Confirm that the electronic key indica-
tor flashes 4 times.
While the battery-saving mode is set, the 
smart access system with push-button start 
cannot be used. To cancel the function, 
press any of the electronic key buttons.
■
Conditions affe cting operation
The smart access system with push-button 
start uses weak radio waves. In the following 
situations, the communication between the 
electronic key and the vehicle may be 
affected, preventing  the smart access sys-
tem with push-button start, wireless remote 
control and engine immobilizer system 
from operating properly. (Ways of coping: 
 P.433)
●
When the electronic key battery is 
depleted
●
Near a TV tower, electric power plant,  gas station, radio stat ion, large display, 
airport or other fac ility that generates 
strong radio waves or electrical noise ●
When carrying a portable radio, cellular 
phone, cordless phone or other wireless 
communication device ●
When the electronic key is in contact 
with, or is covered by the following metal-
lic objects
• Cards to which aluminum foil is attached
• Cigarette boxes that have aluminum foil 
inside
• Metallic wallets or bags
•Coins
• Hand warmers made of metal
• Media such as CDs and DVDs ●
When other wireless keys (that emit radio 
waves) are being used nearby ●
When carrying the electronic key 
together with the following devices that 
emit radio waves
• Another vehicle’s electronic key or a 
wireless key that  emits radio waves
• Personal computers or personal digital 
assistants (PDAs)
• Digital audio players
• Portable game systems ●
If window tint with  a metallic content or 
metallic objects are attached to the rear 
window ●
When the electronic key is placed near a 
battery charger or electronic devices ●
When the vehicle is parked in a pay park-
ing spot where radio waves are emitted. ■
Note for the entry function ●
Even when the electronic key is within the 
effective range (detection areas), the sys-
tem may not operate properly in the fol-
lowing cases:
• The electronic key is too close to the win-
dow or outside door handle, near the 
ground, or in a high place when the doors 
are locked or unlocked.
• The electronic key is near the ground or 
in a high place, or too close to the center 
of the rear bumper when the trunk is 
opened.
• The electronic key is on the instrument 
panel, rear package tray or floor, or in the 
door pockets or glove box when the  

1153-2. Opening, closing and  locking the doors and trunk
LS500_OM_(U)_1810 3
Before driving The key confinement prevention function 
may not operate, depending on the loca-
tion of the key (the  inside edge of the 
trunk), conditions (inside a metal bag, 
close to metallic objects) and the radio 
waves in the surrounding area. (  P.109)■
If the smart access system with 
push-button start does not operate 
properly●
Locking and unlocking the doors and 
trunk:   P.433●
Starting the engine:   P.434 ■
Customization
Some functions can be customized. 
(  P.466) ■
If the smart access system with 
push-button start has been deactivated 
in a customized setting ●
Locking and unloc king the doors and 
opening the trunk:
Use the wireless remote control or 
mechanical key. (  P.100, 107, 433)●
Starting the engine and changing engine 
switch modes:   P.434●
Stopping the engine:   P.165■
Certification for the smart access  system with push-button start
For vehicles sold in the U.S.A. , Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico