2020 LEXUS NX300 ESP

1484-1. Before driving
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
WARNING
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with
the location of the brake and accelera-
tor pedals to avoid depressing the
wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelera- tor 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 difficulty in
operating the pedals. Make sure to
operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture 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 flamma-
ble 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.
In the event of an emergency, such as if
it becomes impossible to stop the vehi-
cle in the normal way: P.366
●Use engine braking (downshift) to
maintain a safe speed when driving
down a steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously may
cause the brakes to overheat and lose
effectiveness. ( P.168)
●Do not adjust the positions of the
steering wheel, the seat, or the inside
or outside rear view mirrors while driv-
ing.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle
control.
●Always check that all passengers’
arms, heads or other parts of their
body are not outside the vehicle.
●AWD models: Do not drive the vehicle
off-road.
This is not an AWD vehicle designed
for off-road driving. Proceed with all
due caution if it becomes unavoidable
to drive off-road.
●Do not drive across a river or through
other bodies of water.
This may cause electric/electronic
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 per-
mits 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 capa-
bility tires or not befo re driving at such
speeds.
■When driving on slippery road sur-
faces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and
steering may cause tire slippage and
reduce your ability to control the vehi-
cle.
●Sudden acceleration, engine braking
due to shifting, or changes in engine
speed could cause the vehicle to skid.

1574-1. Before driving
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
4
Driving
• Check the load in the vehicle.
Make sure the vehicle is not overloaded
after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the speed
at which trailer swaying occurred is beyond
the limit of your particular vehicle-trailer
combination. Drive at a lower speed to pre-
vent instability. Remember that swaying of
the towing vehicle-trailer increases as
speed increases.
WARNING
■Trailer towing precautions
To tow a trailer safely, use extreme care
and drive the vehicle in accordance with
the trailer’s characte ristics and operating
conditions. Failure to do so could cause
an accident resulting in death or serious
injury. Vehicle stability and braking per-
formance are affected by trailer stability,
brake setting and performance, and the
hitch. Your vehicle will handle differently
when towing a trailer.
■To avoid accident or injury
●Do not exceed the TWR, unbraked
TWR, GCWR, GVWR or GAWR.
●Adjust the tongue weight within the
appropriate range. Place heavier loads
as close to the trailer axle as possible.
●Do not exceed 65 mph (104 km/h),
the posted towing speed limit or the
speed limit for your trailer as set forth
in your trailer owner’s manual, which-
ever is lowest. Slow down sufficiently
before making a turn, in cross winds,
on wet or slippery surface, etc. to help
avoid an accident. If you experience a
vehicle-trailer inst ability from reduc-
ing a certain speed, slow down and
make sure you keep your vehicle
speed under the speed of which you
experience the instability.
●Do not make jerky, abrupt or sharp
turns.
●Do not apply the brakes suddenly as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of vehicle control. This is
especially true on wet or slippery sur-
faces.
●Do not exceed the trailer hitch assem-
bly weight, gross vehicle weight, gross
axle weight and tra iler tongue weight
capacities.
●Do not use the dynamic radar cruise
control system when trailer towing.
●Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts while descendi ng steep or long
downhill grades.
●Vehicle-trailer instability is more likely
on steep long downhills. Before
descending steep or long downhill
grades, slow down and downshift. Do
not make sudden downshifts when
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or applying the brakes
too frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.
●Do not tow a trailer when the compact
spare tire is installed on your vehicle.
■When towing a trailer
Lexus recommends trailers with brakes
that conform to any applicable federal
and state/provincial regulations.
●If the gross traile r weight exceeds
unbraked TWR, trailer brakes are
required. Lexus re commends trailers
with brakes that conform to all applica-
ble federal and state/provincial regula-
tions.
●Never tap into your vehicle’s hydraulic
system, as this will lower the vehicle’s
braking effectiveness.

1624-1. Before driving
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
prolonged turning. Have someone
guide you when reversing to reduce
the risk of an accident.
 As stopping distance is increased
when towing a trailer, vehicle-to
vehicle distance should be
increased. For each 10 mph (16
km/h) of speed, allow at least one
vehicle and trailer length.
 Avoid sudden braking as you may
skid, resulting in the trailer jackknif-
ing and a loss of vehicle control. This
is especially true on wet or slippery
surfaces.
 Avoid jerky starts or sudden accel-
eration.
 Avoid jerky steering and sharp
turns, and slow down before making
turn.
 Note that when making a turn, the
trailer wheels will be closer than the
vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Compensate by making a
wider than normal turning radius.
 Slow down before making a turn, in
cross winds, on wet or slippery sur-
faces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can desta-
bilize the trailer.
 Take care when passing other vehi-
cles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer,
and be sure you have plenty of room
before changing lanes.
 To maintain engine braking effi-
ciency and charging system perfor-
mance when using engine braking, do not put the transmission in D. If in
the M mode, the transmission shift
range position must be in 4 or lower.
(
P.168)
 Instability happens more frequently
when descending steep or long
downhill grades. Before descend-
ing, slow down and downshift. Do
not make sudden downshifts while
descending steep or long downhill
grades.
 Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or applying the brakes too
frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.
 Due to the added load of the trailer,
your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
85°F [30°C]) when driving up a
long or steep grade. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indi-
cates overheating, immediately turn
off the air conditioning (if in use),
pull your vehicle off the road and
stop in a safe spot. ( P.403)
 Always place wheel blocks under
both the vehicle’s and the trailer’s
wheels when parking. Put the trans-
mission in P and apply the parking
brake. Avoid parking on a slope, but
if unavoidable, do so only after per-
forming the following:
1 Apply the brakes and keep them
applied.
2 Have someone place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle’s and trailer’s
wheels.

1774-2. Driving procedures
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
4
Driving
*:If equipped
1Louder
2 Lower
The indicator comes on when the ASC
system is on.
When the dial is turned to the lowest
volume, the ASC system will be turned
off and the indicator will go off.
■Operating conditions
When the driving mode select switch is not in Eco mode.
■Temporary cancelation of the ASC sys-
tem functions
The ASC system may be temporarily can-
celed depending on the driving conditions,
such as when the tires slip due to sudden
acceleration.ASC (Active Sound Con-
trol)*
The ASC system is an electronic
sound system that generates
engine sound, conveying the
kinetic situations of the vehicle’s
acceleration and deceleration to
the driver throug h the speakers
inside the instrument panel.
The vehicle’s response to the
driver’s accelerati on behavior and
shift operations are also conveyed
in sound.
When Sport mode is selected, the
sound conveyed to the driver will be
louder.
Controlling volume

1934-5. Using the driving support systems
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
4
Driving
4-5.Using the driving support systems
■PCS (Pre-Collision System)
 P.199
■LTA (Lane Tracing Assist)
 P.206
■LDA (Lane Departure Alert with
steering control)
 P.215
■Automatic High Beam
 P.181
■RSA (Road Sign Assist)
 P.223
■Dynamic radar cruise control with
full-speed range
 P.225 Two types of sensors, located behind
the front grille and windshield, detect
information necessary to operate the
drive assist systems.
Radar sensor
Front camera
Lexus Safety System+ 2.0
The Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 con-
sists of the following drive assist sys-
tems and contributes to a safe and
comfortable driving experience:
Driving assist system
WARNING
■Lexus Safety System+ 2.0
The Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 is
designed to operate under the assump-
tion that the driver w ill drive safely, and is
designed to help reduce the impact to
the occupants and the vehicle in the case
of a collision or assist the driver in normal
driving conditions.
As there is a limit to the degree of recog-
nition accuracy and control performance
that this system can provide, do not
overly rely on this system. The driver is
always responsible for paying attention
to the vehicle’s surroundings and driving
safely.
Sensors
WARNING
■To avoid malfunction of the radar sen-
sor
Observe the following precautions.
Otherwise, the radar sensor may not
operate properly, possibly leading to an
accident resulting in death or serious
injury.
A
B

2004-5. Using the driving support systems
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
WARNING
■Limitations of the pre-collision system
●The driver is solely responsible for safe
driving. Always drive safely, taking
care to observe your surroundings.
Do not use the pre-collision system
instead of normal braking operations
under any circumstances. This system
will not prevent collisions or lessen col-
lision damage or injury in every situa-
tion. Do not overly rely on this system.
Failure to do so may lead to an acci-
dent, resulting in death or serious
injury.
●Although this system is designed to
help avoid a collision or help reduce
the impact of the collision, its effective-
ness may change according to various
conditions, therefore the system may
not always be able to achieve the same
level of performance.
Read the following conditions care-
fully. Do not overly rely on this system
and always drive carefully.
• Conditions under which the system may operate even if there is no possi-
bility of a collision: P.203
• Conditions under which the system may not operate properly: P.204
●Do not attempt to test the operation of
the pre-collision system yourself.
Depending on the objects used for
testing (dummies, cardboard objects
imitating detectable objects, etc.), the
system may not operate properly, pos-
sibly leading to an accident.
■Pre-collision braking
●When the pre-collision braking func-
tion is operating, a large amount of
braking force will be applied.
●If the vehicle is stopped by the opera-
tion of the pre-collision braking func-
tion, the pre-collision braking function
operation will be canceled after
approximately 2 seco nds. Depress the
brake pedal as necessary.
●The pre-collision braking function may
not operate if certain operations are
performed by the driver. If the acceler-
ator pedal is being depressed strongly
or the steering wheel is being turned,
the system may determine that the
driver is taking evasive action and pos-
sibly prevent the pre-collision braking
function from operating.
●In some situations, while the pre-colli-
sion braking function is operating,
operation of the function may be can-
celed if the accelerator pedal is
depressed strongly or the steering
wheel is turned and the system deter-
mines that the driver is taking evasive
action.
●If the brake pedal is being depressed,
the system may determine that the
driver is taking evasive action and pos-
sibly delay the operat ion timing of the
pre-collision braking function.
■When to disable the pre-collision sys-
tem
In the following situations, disable the
system, as it may not operate properly,
possibly leading to an accident resulting
in death or serious injury:
●When the vehicle is being towed
●When your vehicle is towing another
vehicle
●When transporting the vehicle via
truck, boat, train or similar means of
transportation
●When the vehicle is raised on a lift with
the engine running and the tires are
allowed to rotate freely
●When inspecting the vehicle using a
drum tester such as a chassis dyna-
mometer or speedmeter tester, or
when using an on vehicle wheel bal-
ancer
●When a strong impact is applied to the
front bumper or front grille, due to an
accident or other reasons

2064-5. Using the driving support systems
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
*: If equipped
LTA (Lane Tracing Assist)*
When driving on highways and
freeways with white (yellow) lane
lines, this function alerts the driver
when the vehicle might depart
from its lane or course
* and pro-
vides assistance by operating the
steering wheel to keep the vehicle
in its lane or course
*. Furthermore,
the system provides steering assis-
tance when dynamic radar cruise
control with full-speed range is
operating to keep the vehicle in its
lane.
The LTA system recognizes white
(yellow) lane lines or a course
*
using the front camera. Addition-
ally, it detects preceding vehicles
using the front camera and radar.
*: Boundary between asphalt and the side of the road, such as grass, soil, or
a curb
WARNING
■Before using LTA system
●Do not rely solely upon the LTA sys-
tem. The LTA system does not auto-
matically drive the vehicle or reduce
the amount of attention that must be
paid to the area in front of the vehicle.
The driver must always assume full
responsibility for driving safely by pay-
ing careful attention to the surround-
ing conditions and operating the
steering wheel to correct the path of
the vehicle. Also, the driver must take
adequate breaks when fatigued, such
as from driving for a long period of
time.
●Failure to perform appropriate driving
operations and pay careful attention
may lead to an accident, resulting in
death or serious injury.
●When not using the LTA system, use
the LTA switch to turn the system off.
■Situations unsuitable for LTA system
In the following situations, use the LTA
switch to turn the system off. Failure to do
so may lead to an accident, resulting in
death or serious injury.
●Vehicle is driven on a road surface
which is slippery due to rainy weather,
fallen snow, freezing, etc.
●Vehicle is driven on a snow-covered
road.
●White (yellow) lines are difficult to see
due to rain, snow, fog, dust, etc.
●Vehicle is driven in a temporary lane or
restricted lane due to construction
work.
●Vehicle is driven in a construction
zone.
●A spare tire, tire chains, etc. are
equipped.
●When the tires have been excessively
worn, or when the tire inflation pres-
sure is low.

2164-5. Using the driving support systems
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
WARNING
■Before using LDA system
●Do not rely solely upon the LDA sys-
tem. The LDA system does not auto-
matically drive the vehicle or reduce
the amount of attention that must be
paid to the area in front of the vehicle.
The driver must always assume full
responsibility for driving safely by pay-
ing careful attention to the surround-
ing conditions and operating the
steering wheel to correct the path of
the vehicle. Also, the driver must take
adequate breaks when fatigued, such
as from driving for a long period of
time.
●Failure to perform appropriate driving
operations and pay careful attention
may lead to an accident, resulting in
death or serious injury.
●When not using the LDA system, use
the LDA switch to turn the system off.
■Situations unsuitable for LDA system
In the following situations, use the LDA
switch to turn the system off. Failure to do
so may lead to an acc ident, resulting in
death or serious injury.
●Vehicle is driven on a road surface
which is slippery due to rainy weather,
fallen snow, freezing, etc.
●Vehicle is driven on a snow-covered
road.
●White (yellow) lines are difficult to see
due to rain, snow, fog, dust, etc.
●A spare tire, tire chains, etc. are
equipped.
●When the tires have been excessively
worn, or when the tire inflation pres-
sure is low.
●When tires of a size other than speci-
fied are installed.
●Vehicle is driven in traffic lanes other
than that highways and freeways.
●When your vehicle is towing a trailer
or during emergency towing.
■Preventing LDA system malfunctions
and operations performed by mistake
●Do not modify the headlights or place
stickers, etc. on the surface of the
lights.
●Do not modify the suspension, etc. If
the suspension, etc. needs to be
replaced, contact your Lexus dealer.
●Do not install or place anything on the
hood or grille. Also, do not install a
grille guard (bull bars, kangaroo bar,
etc.).
●If your windshield needs repairs, con-
tact your Lexus dealer.
■Conditions in which functions may
not operate properly
In the following situations, the functions
may not operate properly and the vehicle
may depart from its la ne. Drive safely by
always paying careful attention to your
surroundings and operate the steering
wheel to correct the path of the vehicle
without relying solely on the functions.
●Vehicle is being driven around a sharp
curve.
●Objects or patterns that could be mis-
taken for white (yellow) lines are pres-
ent on the side of the road (guardrails,
reflective poles, etc.).