Page 169 of 660

1693-5. Opening, closing the windows and moon roof
3
Operation of each component
IS350 AWD/IS350/IS300 AWD/IS300_U
■Moon roof open warning buzzer
The buzzer sounds and a message is shown on the multi-information display in the instru-
ment cluster when the engine switch is turned off and the driver’s door is opened with the
moon roof open.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. linked door lock operation) can be changed.
(Customizable features: P. 613)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
■Opening the moon roof
●Do not allow any passengers to put their hands or heads outside the vehicle while it is
moving.
●Do not sit on top of the moon roof.
■Closing the moon roof
●The driver is responsible for moon roof opening and closing operations.
In order to prevent accidental operation, especially by a child, do not let a child oper-
ate the moon roof. It is possible for child ren and other passengers to have body parts
caught in the moon roof.
●Check to make sure that all passengers do not have any part of their body in a posi-
tion where it could be caught when the moon roof is being operated.
●When exiting the vehicle, turn the engine switch off, carry the ke y and exit the vehicle
along with the child. There may be accidental operation, due to mischief, etc., that
may possibly lead to an accident.
■Jam protection function
●Never use any part of your body to intentionally activate the jam protection function.
●The jam protection function may not work if something gets caught just before the
moon roof fully closes.
Page 170 of 660
1703-5. Opening, closing the windows and moon roof
IS350 AWD/IS350/IS300 AWD/IS300_U
Page 171 of 660

171
Driving4
IS350 AWD/IS350/IS300 AWD/IS300_U
4-1. Before drivingDriving the vehicle ...................... 172
Cargo and luggage ....................180
Vehicle load limits ....................... 183
Trailer towing ................................ 184
Dinghy towing ..............................185
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch ............ 186
Automatic transm ission..............191
Turn signal lever........................... 198
Parking brake ............................. 200
ASC (Active Sound Control)......... 201
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch .........................202
Automatic High Beam ............ 206
Windshield wipers and washer........................................... 210 4-4. Refueling
Opening the fuel tank cap ...... 218
4-5. Using the driving support systems
Lexus Safety System + ............. 222
PCS (Pre-Collision System) ......... 229
LDA (Lane Departure Alert with steering
control)........................................ 240
Dynamic radar cruise control ......................................... 248
Intuitive parking assist .............. 260
Lexus parking assist monitor ........................................ 269
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) .....285
• BSM function .........................289
• RCTA function...................... 292
Driving mode select switch ........................................... 297
Driving assist systems ............... 301
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips .....................306
Page 172 of 660

172
IS350 AWD/IS350/IS300 AWD/IS300_U4-1. Before driving
P. 186
With the brake pedal depressed, shift the shift lever to D. ( P. 191)
Release the parking brake. ( P. 200)
Gradually release the brake pedal and gently depress the accelerator pedal
to accelerate the vehicle.
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
If necessary, set the parking brake.
If the vehicle is to be stopped for an extended period of time, shift the shift lever to P or
N. ( P. 191)
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
Set the parking brake ( P. 200), and shift the shift lever to P ( P. 191).
If parking on a hill, bloc k the wheels as needed.
Press the engine switch to stop the engine.
Lock the door, making sure that you ha ve the electronic key on your person.
Make sure that the parking brake is set and shift the shift lever to D.
Gently depress the accelerator pedal.
Release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle
The following procedures should be observed to ensure safe driving:
Starting the engine
Driving
Stopping
Parking the vehicle
Starting off on a steep uphill
1
2
3
1
2
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
Page 173 of 660

1734-1. Before driving
4
Driving
IS350 AWD/IS350/IS300 AWD/IS300_U
■When starting off on an uphill
The hill-start assist control will activate. (P. 301)
■Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is ra ining, because visibility will be reduced, the windows may
become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.
●Drive carefully when it starts to rain, beca use the road surface will be especially slip-
pery.
●Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain, because there may
be a layer of water between the tires and th e road surface, preventing the steering and
brakes from operating properly.
■Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, th e engine speed may become high while driving. This is due
to automatic up-shifting control or down-shi fting implementation to meet driving condi-
tions. It does not indica te sudden acceleration.
●The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill or downhill
●When the accelerator pedal is released
●When the brake pedal is depressed while sport mode is selected
■Restraining the engine output (Brake Override System)
●When the accelerator and brake pedals are depressed at the same time, the engine
output may be restrained.
●A warning message is displayed on the mult i-information display while the system is
operating. ( P. 547)
■Restraining sudden start (Drive-Start Control)
●When the following unusual operation is performed, the engine output may be
restrained.
• When the shift lever is shifted from R to D, D to R, N to R, P to D, or P to R (D
includes M) with the accelerator pedal depressed, a warning message appears on
the multi-information display. ( P. 537)
• When the accelerator pedal is depressed t oo much while the vehicle is in reverse.
●While Drive-Start Control is being activated, your vehicle may have trouble escaping
from the mud or fresh snow. In such case, deactivate TRAC (P. 303) to cancel Drive-
Start Control so that the vehicle may beco me able to escape from the mud or fresh
snow.
Page 174 of 660

1744-1. Before driving
IS350 AWD/IS350/IS300 AWD/IS300_U
■Breaking in your new Lexus
To extend the life of the vehicle, observin g the following precautions is recommended:
●For the first 186 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
●For the first 621 miles (1000 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
■Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system. This type of brake system
needs bedding-down of the brake shoes peri odically or whenever the parking brake
shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have your Lexus dealer perform the bedding down
operation.
■Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability of the cor-
rect fuel. ( P. 598)
■Idling time before engine stop (IS300)
To prevent damage to the turbocharger, allow the engine to idle immediately after high-
load driving.
Driving conditionIdling time
Normal city driving or high-spe ed driving (at the highway speed
limit or recommended speed)
Not necessary
Steep hill driving, co ntinuous driving (race track driving etc.)
Approximately
1 minute
Page 175 of 660

1754-1. Before driving
4
Driving
IS350 AWD/IS350/IS300 AWD/IS300_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the engine running. This
prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accelerator ped-
als to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator 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 oper-
ating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving po sture 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.
●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 flammable 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, but the power assist to these systems
will be lost. This will make it more difficult to steer and brake, so you should pull over
and stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
However, in the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way: P. 515
●Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving down a steep
hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause th e brakes to overheat and lose effective-
ness. ( P. 191)
●Do not adjust the positions of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or outside rear
view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Always check that all passengers’ arms, he ads or other parts of their body are not
outside the vehicle.
●Do not drive across a river or through other bodies of water.
This may cause electric/elect ronic components to short circuit, damage the engine or
cause other serious damage to the vehicle.
●Do not drive in excess of the speed limit. Even if the legal speed limit permits 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 result in tire failure, 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 no t before driving at such speeds.
Page 176 of 660

1764-1. Before driving
IS350 AWD/IS350/IS300 AWD/IS300_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and reduce your
ability to control the vehicle.
●Sudden acceleration, engine braking due to shifting, or changes in engine speed
could cause the vehicle to skid.
●After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pe dal to make sure that the
brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent the brakes from func-
tioning properly. If the brakes on only on e side are wet and not functioning properly,
steering control may be affected.
■When shifting the shift lever
●Do not let the vehicle roll backward while the shift lever is in a driving position, or roll
forward while the shift lever is in R.
Doing so may cause the engine to stall or lead to poor brake and steering perfor-
mance, resulting in an accide nt or damage to the vehicle.
●Do not shift the shift lever to P while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Do not shift the shift lever to R while the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Do not shift the shift lever to a driving position while the vehicle is moving backward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Shifting the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage the engine from
the transmission. Engine braking is not available when N is selected.
●Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed. Shifting the
shift lever to a gear other than P or N may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of
the vehicle that may cause an accident and result in death or serious injury.
■If you hear a squealing or scraping noise (brake pad wear limit indicators)
Have the brake pads checked and replaced by your Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
Rotor damage may result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
Front brakes only: Moderate levels of brak e pad and disc wear allow enhanced front
braking power. As a result, the discs may wear more quickly than conventional brake
discs. Therefore, when replacing the brake pads, Lexus recommends that you also
have the thickness of the discs measured.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads and/or those
of the brake discs are exceeded.