3526-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
Tire pressure gauge
1
Remove the tire valve cap.
2
Press the tip of the tire pressure
gauge onto the tire valve.
3
Read the pressure using the gauge
gradations.
4
If the tire inflation pressure is not at
the recommended level, adjust the
pressure.
If you add too much air, press the
center of the valve to deflate.
5
After completing the tire inflation
pressure measurem ent and adjust-
ment, apply soapy water to the
valve and check for leakage.
6
Put the tire valve cap back on.
■Tire inflation pressure check interval
You should check tire inflation pressure
every two weeks, or at least once a month.
Do not forget to check the spare.
■Effects of incorrect tire inflation pres-
sure
Driving with incorrect ti re inflation pressure
may result in the following:
●Reduced fuel economy
●Reduced driving comfort and poor han-
dling
●Reduced tire life due to wear
●Reduced safety
●Damage to the drive train
If a tire needs frequent inflating, have it
checked by your Lexus dealer.
■Instructions for checking tire inflation
pressure
When checking tire inflation pressure,
observe the following:
●Check only when the tires are cold.
If your vehicle has been parked for at
least 3 hours or has not been driven for more than 1 mile or 1.5 km, you will get an
accurate cold tire inflation pressure read-
ing.
●Always use a tire pressure gauge.
It is difficult to judge if a tire is properly
inflated based only on its appearance.
●It is normal for the ti
re inflation pressure
to be higher after driving as heat is gen-
erated in the tire. Do not reduce tire infla-
tion pressure after driving.
●Never exceed the vehicle capacity
weight.
Passengers and luggage weight should
be placed so that the vehicle is balanced.
B
WARNING
■Proper inflation is critical to save tire
performance
Keep your tires properly inflated.
If the tires are not properly inflated, the
following conditions may occur which
could lead to an accident resulting in
death or serious injury:
●Excessive wear
●Uneven wear
●Poor handling
●Possibility of blowouts resulting from
overheated tires
●Air leaking from between tire and
wheel
●Wheel deformation and/or tire dam-
age
●Greater possibility of tire damage
while driving (due to road hazards,
expansion joints, sharp edges in the
road, etc.)
3546-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
Use only Lexus wheel nuts and
wrenches designed for use with
your aluminum wheels.
When rotating, repairing or chang-
ing your tires, check that the wheel
nuts are still tight after driving 1000
miles (1600 km).
Be careful not to damage the alumi-
num wheels when using tire chains.
Use only Lexus genuine balance
weights or equivalent and a plastic
or rubber hammer when balancing your wheels.
WARNING
●Never use an inner tube in a leaking
wheel which is designed for a tubeless
tire. Doing so may result in an acci-
dent, causing death or serious injury.
■Use of defective wheels prohibited
Do not use cracked or deformed wheels.
Doing so could cause the tire to leak air
during driving, possibly causing an acci-
dent.
NOTICE
■Replacing tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters
●Because tire repair or replacement
may affect the tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters, make sure to
have tires serviced by your Lexus
dealer or other qualified service shop.
In addition, make sure to purchase
your tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters at your Lexus dealer.
●Ensure that only genuine Lexus wheels
are used on your vehicle.
Tire pressure warning valves and trans-
mitters may not work properly with
non-genuine wheels.
Aluminum wheel precautions
3697-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
7
When trouble arises
7-2.Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs to be
t
owed
If towing is ne cessary, we recom-
mend having your vehicle towed by
your Lexus dealer or commercial
towing service, using a wheel-lift
type truck or flatbed truck.
Use a safety chain system for all
towing, and abide by all state/pro-
vincial and local laws.
2WD models: If towing your vehicle
with a wheel-lift type truck from the
front, the vehicle’s rear wheels and
axles must be in good conditions.
( P.369, 371)
If they are damaged, use a towing
dolly or flatbed truck.
AWD models: If towing your vehi-
cle with a wheel-lift type truck, use
a towing dolly. ( P.369, 371)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
■When towing the vehicle
2WD models
Be sure to transport the vehicle with the
front wheels raised or with all four wheels
raised off the ground. If the vehicle is
towed with the front wheels contacting
the ground, the drivetrain and related
parts may be damaged.
AWD models
Be sure to transport the vehicle with all
four wheels raised off the ground. If the
vehicle is towed with the tires contacting
the ground, the driv etrain or related
parts may be damaged, the vehicle may
fly off the truck.
■While towing
●When towing using a cables or chains,
avoid sudden starts, etc. which place
excessive stress on the towing eyelets,
cables or chains. The towing eyelets,
cables or chains may become dam-
aged, broken debris may hit people,
and cause serious damage.
3737-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
7
When trouble arises
Fluid leaks under the vehicle
(Water dripping from the air condi-
tioning after use is normal.)
Flat-looking tires or uneven tire
wear
Engine coolant temperature gauge
needle continually points higher
than normal
Changes in exhaust sound
Excessive tire squeal when corner-
ing
Strange noises related to the sus-
pension system
Pinging or other noises related to
the engine
Engine misfire or misses, stumbling
or running roughly
Appreciable loss of power
Vehicle pulls heavily to one side
when braking
Vehicle pulls heavily to one side
when driving on a level road
Loss of brake effectiveness, spongy
feeling, pedal almost touches the
floor
If you think something is
wrong
If you notice any of the following
symptoms, your vehicle probably
needs adjustment or repair. Con-
tact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible.
Visible symptoms
Audible symptoms
Operational symptoms
3837-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
7
When trouble arises
●Avoid abrupt maneuvering and brak-
ing. If the vehicle tires deteriorate, you
could lose control of the steering
wheel or the brakes.
■If a blowout or sudden air leakage
should occur
The tire pressure warning system may
not activate immediately.
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthly when
cold and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label (tire and load
information label). (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indi-
cated on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label [tire and load
information label], yo u should determine
the proper tire infl ation pressure for
those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS-tire pressure
warning system) that illuminates a low
tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warn-
ing light) when one or more of your tires
is significantly under-inflated. Accord-
ingly, when the low tire pressure telltale
(tire pressure warnin g light) illuminates,
you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire
to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel effi-
ciency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping abil-
ity.
Please note that the TPMS (tire pressure
warning system) is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the
driver’s responsibility to maintain correct
tire pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger illumina-
tion of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale
(tire pressure warning light).
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction indicator to indicate when
the system is not operating properly. The
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure telltale (tire pres-
sure warning light) . When the system
detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and
then remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon subse-
quent vehicle start-ups as long as the
malfunction exists. When the malfunction
indicator is illuminated, the system may
not be able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of
replacement or alternate tires or wheels
on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
(tire pressure warning system) from func-
tioning properly. Always check the
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction telltale after replacing one
or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alternate
tires and wheels allow the TPMS (tire
pressure warning system) to continue to
function properly.
NOTICE
■To ensure the tire pressure warning
system operates properly
Do not install tires with different specifi-
cations or makers, as the tire pressure
warning system may not operate prop-
erly.
3877-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
7
When trouble arises
Stop the vehicle in a safe place on a
hard, flat surface.
Set the parking brake.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Stop the engine.
Turn on the emergency flashers.
( P.366)
If you have a flat tire
Your vehicle is equipped with a
spare tire. The flat tire can be
replaced with the spare tire.
For details about tires: P.343
WARNING
■If you have a flat tire
Do not continue driving with a flat tire.
Driving even a short distance with a flat
tire can damage the tire and the wheel
beyond repair, which could result in an
accident.
Before jacking up the vehicle
3887-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
Jack handle
Wheel nut wrench
Towing eyelet
Spare tire
Jack
Screwdriver
Location of the spare tire, jack and tools
A
B
C
D
E
F
WARNING
■Using the tire jack
Observe the following precautions.
Improper use of the tire jack may cause
the vehicle to suddenly fall off the jack,
leading to death or serious injury.
●Do not use the tire jack for any pur-
pose other than replacing tires or
installing and removing tire chains.
●Only use the tire jack that comes with
this vehicle for replacing a flat tire.
Do not use it on other vehicles, and do
not use other tire jacks for replacing
tires on this vehicle.
●Put the jack properly in its jack point.
●Do not put any part of your body under
the vehicle while it is supported by the
jack.
●Do not start the engine or drive the
vehicle while the vehicle is supported
by the jack.
●Do not raise the vehicle while some-
one is inside.
●When raising the vehicle, do not put an
object on or under the jack.
3907-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
the handle indicated by until it does not
move anymore, stow the jack and the
cover, and press on the jack to fix with the
rubber band.
1Remove deck under tray.
2
Loosen the center fastener that
secures the spare tire. 1
Chock the tires.
2
Slightly loosen the wheel nuts (one
turn).
3
Turn the tire jack portion by
hand until the notch of the jack is in
contact with the jack point.
The jack point guides are located under
the rocker panel. They indicate the jack
Taking out the spare tire
WARNING
■When storing the spare tire
Be careful not to catch fingers or other
body parts between the spare tire and
the body of the vehicle.
AReplacing a flat tire
Flat tireWheel chock positions
Front left-
hand sideBehind the rear right-hand
side tire
Front right-
hand sideBehind the rear left-hand
side tire
Rear left-hand
sideIn front of the front right-
hand side tire
Rear right-
hand sideIn front of the front left-
hand side tire
A