
1103-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
sound and then the power back door will 
begin closing automatically. When the 
power back door is closed, all of the doors 
will lock simultaneously and operation sig-
nals will indicate that all of the doors have 
been locked.
■Situations in which the close & lock 
function may not operate properly 
(vehicles with Hand
s Free Power Back 
Door)
In the following situations, the close & lock 
function may not operate properly:
●If the   switch on the lower part of 
the power back door is pressed by a hand 
which is holding an electronic key
●If the   switch on the lower part of 
the power back door is pressed when the 
electronic key is in a bag, etc. that is 
placed on the ground
●If the   switch on the lower part of 
the power back door is pressed with the 
electronic key not near the vehicle.
■Situations in which the kick sensor does 
not operate properly (vehicles with 
Hands Free Power Back Door)
In the following situations, the kick sensor 
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
If the rear bumper has been touched for a 
while, wait for a short time before attempt-
ing to operate the back door again.
●When operated while a person is too 
close to the rear bumper
●When an external  radio wave source 
interferes with the communication 
between the vehicle and electronic key 
(  P.118)
●When the vehicle is parked near an elec-
trical noise source which affects the sen-
sitivity of the kick sensor, such as a pay 
parking spot, gas stat ion, electrically 
heated road, or fluorescent light
●When the vehicle is near a TV tower, 
electric power plant, radio station, large 
display, airport or ot her facility that gen-
erates strong radio waves or electrical 
noise
●When a large amount of water is applied 
to the rear bumper, such as when the 
vehicle is being washed or in heavy rain
●When mud, snow, ice, etc. is attached to 
the rear bumper
●When the vehicle has been parked for a 
while near objects that may move and 
contact the rear bumper, such as plants
●When an accessory is installed to the rear 
bumper
If an accessory has been installed, turn the 
kick sensor operation setting off.
■Preventing unintentional operation of 
the kick sensor (vehicles with Hands 
Free Power Back Door)
When an electronic key is in the operation 
range, the kick sensor may operate unin-
tentionally, so be careful in the following sit-
uations.
●When a large amount of water is applied 
to the rear bumper, such as when the 
vehicle is being washed or in heavy rain
●When dirt is wiped off the rear bumper
●When a small animal or small object, such 
as a ball, moves under the rear bumper
●When an object is moved from under the 
rear bumper
●If someone is swinging their legs while sit-
ting on the rear bumper
●If the legs or another part of someone’s 
body contacts the rear bumper while 
passing by the vehicle
●When the vehicle is parked near an elec-
trical noise source  which affects the sen-
sitivity of the kick sensor, such as a pay 
parking spot, gas station, electrically 
heated road, or fluorescent light
●When the vehicle is near a TV tower, 
electric power plant, radio station, large 
display, airport or ot her facility that gen-
erates strong radio waves or electrical 
noise 

1113-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
LEXUS NX300 Owners  Manual_USA_M78389_en
3
Before driving
●When the vehicle is parked in a place 
where objects such as plants are near the 
rear bumper
●If luggage, etc. is set near the rear 
bumper
●If accessories or a vehicle cover is 
installed/removed near the rear bumper
●When the vehicle is being towed
To prevent unintentional operation, turn the 
kick sensor operation setting off.
■When reconnecting the battery
To enable the power back door to operate 
properly, close the back door manually.
■Jam protection function
Sensors are installed in the right and left 
sides of the power back door. When the 
door is automatically closing and the sen-
sors are pushed due to an object being 
clamped, etc., the jam protection function 
operates.
From that position the door automatically 
moves a little in the opposite direction and 
then the function stops.
■If the back door opener is inoperative
The back door can be unlocked from the 
inside.
1
Remove the cover.
To protect the cover, place a rag between 
the flathead screwdriver and the cover as 
shown in the illustration. 2
Move the lever.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. back  door automatic open 
and stop position) can be changed. (Cus-
tomizable features:  P.427)
WARNING
■Back door closer
●In the event that the back door is left 
slightly open, the back door closer will 
automatically close it to the fully closed 
position. It takes several seconds 
before the back door closer begins to 
operate. Be careful not to catch fingers 
or anything else in the back door, as 
this may cause bone fractures or other 
serious injuries.
●Use caution when using the back door 
closer as it still operates when the 
power back door system is canceled. 

1143-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
ON (operate) and OFF (stop) can be 
switched between by the   of the 
multi-information display. ( P.82) 1
Press   or   of the meter con-
trol switches and select  .
2
Press   or   of the meter con-
trol switches, select the “Vehicle 
Settings” and then press  .
3
Press   or   of the meter con-
trol switches, select   and 
then press  .
4
Press   or   of the meter con-
trol switches, and then select 
“PBD”.
5
ON and OFF will be switched over 
with presses of   on the meter 
control switches.
When OFF is selected and the operations 
of the power back door is made to stop 
from the   of multi-information display, 
unless it is set to ON , the operation of the 
power back door will not return. (No 
return in the engine switch operation)
NOTICE
●Do not park the vehicle near objects 
that may move and contact the lower 
center part of the rear bumper, such as 
grass or trees.
If the vehicle has been parked for a 
while near objects that may move and 
contact the lower center part of the 
rear bumper, such as grass or trees, 
the kick sensor may not operate. In this 
situation, move the vehicle from the 
current position and then check if the 
kick sensor operates. If it does not 
operate, have the vehicle inspected by 
your Lexus dealer.
●Do not subject the kick sensor or its 
surrounding area to a strong impact.
If the kick sensor 
or its surrounding 
area has been subjected to a strong 
impact, the kick sensor may not oper-
ate properly. If the kick sensor does 
not operate in the following situations, 
have the vehicle inspected by your 
Lexus dealer.
• The kick sensor or its surrounding area  has been subjected to  a strong impact.
• The lower center part of the rear  bumper is scratched or damaged.
●Do not disassemble  the rear bumper.
●Do not attach stickers to the rear 
bumper.
●Do not paint the rear bumper.
●If a bicycle carrier or similar heavy 
object is attached to the power back 
door, disable the kick sensor.
Canceling the power back door 
system (vehicles with power 
back door) 

1263-3. Adjusting the seats
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
Luggage room switch
2 Check that the plate for the seat 
belt is on the front side of the seat.
When using the seat be lt for the rear cen-
ter seat ( P.28)
■Operating conditions for folding down 
the seatback (power seat)
When the following conditions are met, 
switch operations are possible.
●When operating the rear seat switch: The 
seatback position is within the   range 
in the illustration from the most upright 
position.
●When operating the instrument panel 
switch or luggage compartment switch: 
The seatback position is within the    range in the illustration.
●When operating the rear seat switch: 
When the rear door for the seat to be 
operated is open.
●When operating the luggage compart-
ment switch: When the back door is 
open.
●When the other operation switches for 
the seat being operated are not pressed.
When the engine swit ch is in IGNITION 
ON mode, in addition to the above, the 
power seat operates for any of the following 
conditions:
• Parking brake is engaged
• The brake pedal is depressed
• The shift lever is in P
■Operating conditions for returning the 
seatback (power seat)
When the following conditions are met, 
switch operations are possible.
●When operating the rear seat switch: The 
seatback position is within the   range 
in the illustration fr om the most upright 
position.
●When operating the rear seat switch: 
When the rear door for the seat to be 
operated is open.
●When operating the luggage compart-
ment switch: When the back door is 
open.
●When the other operation switches for 
the seat being operated are not pressed.
When the engine swit ch is in IGNITION 
ON mode, in addition to the above, the 
power seat operates for any of the following 
conditions:
• Parking brake is engaged
A
B
A 

1273-3. Adjusting the seats
LEXUS NX300 Owners  Manual_USA_M78389_en
3
Before driving
• The brake pedal is depressed
• The shift lever is in P
■Seatback jam protection function 
(power seat)
When folding down the seatback, if a for-
eign object is perceived between the seat-
back and seat cushion, the seatback will 
reverse operations and then stops opera-
tions.
The buzzer sounds intermittently during 
reverse operations and sounds continu-
ously when operations are stopped.
WARNING
■When folding the rear seatbacks 
down and after folded
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or 
serious injury.
●Do not fold the seatbacks down while 
driving.
●Stop the vehicle on level ground, set 
the parking brake and shift the shift 
lever to P.
●Do not allow anyone to sit on a folded 
seatback or in the luggage compart-
ment while driving.
●Do not allow children to enter the lug-
gage compartment.
■After returning the  rear seatback to 
the upright position
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or 
serious injury.
●Make sure that the seatback is 
securely locked in position by lightly 
pushing it back and forth.
●Check that the seat belts are not 
twisted or caught in the seatback.
■Jam protection function (vehicles 
with power seat)
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause death or seri-
ous injury.
●Never use any part of your body to 
intentionally activa te the jam protec-
tion function.
●The jam protection function may not 
work if something gets caught just 
before the seatback is fully folded for-
ward. Be careful no t to get fingers 
caught or anything else.
●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
■Stowing the seat belts
The seat belts and  the buckles for the 
rear center seat, as well as the armrest, 
must be stowed before you fold down the 
rear seatbacks. ( P.29) 

145
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
4
4
Driving
Driving
4-1. Before driving
Driving the vehicle ..................... 146
Cargo and luggage ................... 152
Vehicle load limits ...................... 154
Trailer towing (vehicles with tow- ing package).............................. 155
Trailer towing (vehicles without  towing package) ...................... 163
Dinghy towing ............................. 164
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch ........... 165
Automatic transmission........... 168
Turn signal lever.......................... 172
Parking brake .............................. 172
Brake Hold.................................... 175
ASC (Active Sound Control) 177
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers Headlight switch ......................... 178
Automatic High Beam .............. 181
Fog light switch ........................... 184
Windshield wipers and washer ......................................................... 184
Rear window wiper and washer ......................................................... 189
4-4. Refueling Opening the fuel tank cap....... 1914-5. Using the driving support sys-
tems
Lexus Safety System+ 2.0...... 193
PCS (Pre-Collision System) . 199
LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) .... 206
LDA (Lane Departure Alert with  steering control) ...................... 215
RSA (Road Sign Assist).......... 223
Dynamic radar cruise control with  full-speed range...................... 225
PKSA (Parking Support Alert) ....................................................... 235
Intuitive parking assist ............. 236
Parking Support Brake function  (for static objects) .................... 241
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) .... 250
Driving mode select switch .. 258
Driving assist systems.............. 260
All-wheel drive lock switch (AWD  models)....................................... 264
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips .................... 266
Utility vehicle precautions..... 269 

1464-1. Before driving
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
4-1.Before driving
■Starting the engine
 P.165
■Driving
1 With the brake pedal depressed, 
shift the shift lever to D. ( P.168)
2 Release the parking brake. 
(P.173)
If the parking brake is in automatic mode, 
the parking brake is released automatically 
when shifting the shift lever to any position 
other than P. ( P.172)
3 Gradually release the brake pedal 
and gently depress the accelerator 
pedal to accelerate the vehicle.
■Stopping
1 With the shift lever in D, depress the 
brake pedal.
2 If necessary, set the parking brake. 
(P.173)
If the vehicle is to be stopped for an 
extended period of time, shift the shift lever 
to P or N. ( P.168)
■Parking the vehicle
1 With the shift lever in D, depress the 
brake pedal.
2 Set the parking brake ( P.173), 
and shift the shift lever to P 
( P.168).
3 Press the engine switch to stop the 
engine. 4
Lock the door, making sure that you 
have the electronic key on your 
person.
If parking on a hill,  block the wheels as 
needed.
■Starting off on an uphill
1 With the brake pedal depressed, 
shift the shift lever to D. ( P.168)
2 Pull the parking brake switch and 
parking brake is set manually. 
(P.173)
3 Release the brake pedal and gently 
depress the accelerator pedal to 
accelerate the vehicle.
4 Press the parking brake switch and 
parking brake is released manually. 
(P.173)
■When starting off on an uphill
The hill-start assist control will activate. 
(  P.260)
■Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is raining, because 
visibility will be reduced, the windows 
may become fogged-up, and the road 
will be slippery.
●Drive carefully when it starts to rain, 
because the road surface will be espe-
cially slippery.
●Refrain from high speeds when driving on 
an expressway in the rain, because there 
may be a layer of wa ter between the tires 
and the road surface, preventing the 
steering and brakes from operating prop-
erly.
■Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, the engine 
speed may become high while driving. This 
is due to automatic up-shifting control or 
down-shifting implementation to meet driv-
ing conditions. It does not indicate sudden 
acceleration.
●The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill 
Driving the vehicle
The specified procedures should be 
observed to ensure safe driving:
Driving procedure 

1494-1. Before driving
LEXUS NX300 Owners  Manual_USA_M78389_en
4
Driving
WARNING
●After driving through a puddle, lightly 
depress the brake pedal to make sure 
that the brakes are functioning prop-
erly. Wet brake pads may prevent the 
brakes from functioning properly. If the 
brakes on only one side are wet and 
not functioning properly, steering con-
trol may be affected.
■When shifting the shift lever
●Do not let the vehicle roll backward 
while the shift lever is in a driving posi-
tion, 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 
performance, resulting in an accident 
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 con-
trol.
●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 con-
trol.
●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 con-
trol.
●Shifting the shift lever to N while the 
vehicle is moving will disengage the 
engine.
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 any position 
other than P or N may lead to unex-
pected rapid acceleration of the vehi-
cle that may cause an accident and 
result in death or serious injury.
■If you hear a squealing or scraping 
noise (brake pad wear limit indica-
tors)
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. 
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when 
the wear limits of the brake pads and/or 
those of the brake discs are exceeded.
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not race the engine.
If the shift lever is in any position other 
than P or N, the vehicle may acceler-
ate suddenly and unexpectedly, caus-
ing an accident.
●In order to prevent accidents due to 
the vehicle rolling away, always keep 
depressing the brake pedal while the 
engine is running, and apply the park-
ing brake as necessary.
●If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, 
in order to prevent accidents caused 
by the vehicle rolling forward or back-
ward, always depress the brake pedal 
and securely apply the parking brake 
as needed.
●Avoid revving or racing the engine.
Running the engine at high speed 
while the vehicle is stopped may cause 
the exhaust system to overheat, which 
could result in a fire if combustible 
material is nearby.