Page 199 of 636

1994-1. Before driving
4
Driving
RC F_U WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury. ■
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 brake booster device 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 braking distance will increase. Have your brakes fixed imme-
diately. ■
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.
Page 200 of 636

200 4-1. Before driving
RC F_U NOTICE ■
When driving the vehicle ●
Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time while driving, as
this may restrain the engine output.●
Do not use the accelerator pedal or depre ss the accelerator and brake pedals at the
same time to hold the vehicle on a hill. ■
When parking the vehicle
Always set the parking brake, and shift the sh ift lever to P. Failure to do so may cause
the vehicle to move or the vehicle may acce lerate suddenly if th e accelerator pedal is
accidentally depressed. ■
Avoiding damage to vehicle parts ●
Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for an
extended period of time.
Doing so may damage the power steering motor. ●
When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid damaging
the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc. ●
RC300: Make sure to idle the engine immediately after high-load driving. Stop the
engine only after the turb ocharger has cooled down.
Failure to do so may cause damage to the turbocharger. ■
If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations . Hold the steering wheel
firmly and gradually depress the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle. ●
It may be difficult to control your vehicle. ●
The vehicle will make abnormal sounds or vibrations. ●
The vehicle will lean abnormally.
Information on what to do in case of a flat tire ( P. 489, 502)■
When encountering flooded roads
Do not drive on a road that has flooded af ter heavy rain etc. Doing so may cause the
following serious damage to the vehicle: ●
Engine stalling ●
Short in electrical components ●
Engine damage caused by water immersion
In the event that you drive on a flooded road and the vehicle is flooded, be sure to have
your Lexus dealer check the following: ●
Brake function ●
Changes in quantity and quality of oil and fluid used for the engine, transmission,
transfer (AWD models), differential, etc. ●
Lubricant condition for the propeller shaft, bearings and suspension joints (where
possible), and the function of all joints, bearings, etc.
Page 207 of 636

207
4
Driving
RC F_U 4-2. Driving procedures
Check that the parking brake is set.
Check that the shift lever is in P.
Firmly depress the brake pedal. and a message will be displayed on the multi-information display.
If it is not displayed, th e engine cannot be started.
Press the engine switch shortly and
firmly. When operating the engine switch, one
short, firm press is enough.
It is not necessary to press and hold the
switch.
The engine will crank until it starts or for
up to 30 seconds, whichever is less.
Continue depressing the brake pedal
until the engine is completely started.
The engine can be started from any
engine switch mode.
Stop the vehicle.
Set the parking brake ( P. 222), and shift the shift lever to P.
Press the engine switch.
Release the brake pedal and check that the display on the meters is off.Engine (ignition) switch Performing the following operations wh en carrying the electronic key on your
person starts the engine or changes engine switch modes.
Starting the engine 1
2
3
4
Stopping the engine 1
2
3
4
Page 209 of 636

2094-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
RC F_U
RC F
Off
* The emergency flashers can be used.
The analog speedometer and the
tachometer will not be illuminated.
However, if the welcome illumination is
operating, the analog speedometer will
illuminate.
(Welcome illumination: P. 101)
ACCESSORY mode Some electrical components such as the
audio system can be used.
The analog speedometer is illuminated.
IGNITION ON mode All electrical components can be used.
The analog speedometer and the
tachometer will be illuminated.
* : If the shift le ver is in a position other than
P when turning off the engine, the
engine switch will be turned to ACCES-
SORY mode, not to off.
If the engine is stopped with the shift le ver in a position other than P, the engine
switch will not be turned off but inst ead be turned to ACCESSORY mode. Per-
form the following procedure to turn the switch off:
Check that the parking brake is set.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Check that “Turn Off Vehicle” is disp layed on the multi-information display
and then press the engine switch once.
Check that “Turn Off Vehicle” on th e multi-information display is off.1
2
3
When stopping the engine with the shift lever in a position other than P1
2
3
4
Page 219 of 636

2194-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
RC F_U ■
If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
First, check whether the brak e pedal is being depressed.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted with your foot on the brake pedal, there may be a prob-
lem with the shift lock system. Have the vehi cle inspected by your Lexus dealer immedi-
ately.
The following steps may be used as an emergency measure to ensure that the shift lever
can be shifted.
Releasing the shift lock:
Set the parking brake.
Turn the engine switch to off.
Depress the brake pedal.
■
AI-SHIFT ●
The AI-SHIFT automatically selects the suitab le gear according to driver performance
and driving conditions.
The AI-SHIFT automatically operates when the sh ift lever is in D. (S hifting the shift lever
to the M position cancels the function.) ●
8-speed models: G AI-SHIFT automatically selects a suitable gear for sporty driving
according to driver’s input and driving co nditions. G AI-SHIFT operates automatically
when the shift lever is in D and sport mode is selected for the driving mode. (Selecting
normal mode with the driving mode select switch or shifti ng the shift lever to the M
position cancels this function.) 1
2
3
Pry the cover up with a flathead screwdriver
or equivalent tool.
To prevent damage to the cover, cover the tip
of the screwdriver with a rag.
Press the shift lock override button.
The shift lever can be shifted while the button
is pressed. 4
5
Page 220 of 636
220 4-2. Driving procedures
RC F_U WARNING ■
When driving on slippery road surfaces
Be careful of downshifting an d sudden acceleration, as this could result in the vehicle
skidding to the side or spinning. ■
To prevent an accident wh en releasing the shift lock
Before pressing the shift lock override butto n, make sure to set the parking brake and
depress the brake pedal.
If the accelerator pedal is accidentally depressed instead of the brake pedal when the
shift lock override button is pressed and the shift lever is shifted out of P, the vehicle
may suddenly start, possibly leading to an a ccident resulting in death or serious injury.
Page 222 of 636
222 4-2. Driving procedures
RC F_U To set the parking brake, fully depress
the parking brake pedal with your left
foot while depressing the brake pedal
with your right foot.
(Depressing the pedal again releases
the parking brake.) ■
Parking the vehicle
P. 192 ■
Parking brake engaged warning buzzer
P. 454, 464 ■
Usage in winter time
P. 321Parking brake Operating instructions
NOTICE ■
Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake se t will lead to brake components overheat-
ing, which may affect braking performance and increase brake wear.
Page 226 of 636

226 4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
RC F_U With the headlights on, push the
lever away from you to turn on the
high beams. Pull the lever toward you to the center
position to turn the high beams off.
Pull the lever toward you and release
it to flash the high beams once. You can flash the high beams with the
headlights on or off. ■
Daytime running light system ●
The daytime running lights illuminate using th e same lights as the parking lights and illu-
minate brighter than the parking lights. ●
To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers during daytime driving, the daytime
running lights turn on automatically when a ll of the following conditions are met. (The
daytime running lights are not designed for use at night.)
• The engine is running
• The parking brake is released
• The headlight switch is in the (Canada only), or
* position
* : When the surroundings are bright
The daytime running lights remain on after they illuminate, even if the parking brake is set
again. ●
For the U.S.A.: Daytime running lights can be turned off by operating the switch.●
Compared to turning on the headlights, the daytime running light system offers greater
durability and consumes less electricity, so it can help improve fuel economy.●
Vehicles with LED front turn signal lights: If a turn signal light is in use, the daytime run-
ning light, on the same side, is turned off. For emergency flashers, both are turned off. ■
Headlight control sensorTurning on the high beam headlights 1
2
The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything that
blocks the sensor is affixed to the windshield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor detecting
the level of ambient li ght and may cause the
automatic headlight system to malfunction.