2020 LEXUS NX300 overheating

812-1. Instrument cluster
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
2
Vehicle status information and indicators
Switches between odometer, trip
meter and maintenance required infor-
mation displays. When the trip meter is
displayed, pressing and holding the
button will reset the trip meter. The brightness of the instrument panel
lights can be adjusted.
1
Darker
2
Brighter
■Instrument panel brightness adjustment
The instrument panel brightness levels
when the tail lights are on and off can be
adjusted individually. However, when the
surroundings are bright (daytime, etc.),
turning on the tail lights will not change the
instrument panel brightness. At this time,
any adjustments made to the instrument
panel brightness levels will be applied to
both settings at once.
WARNING
■The information display at low tem-
peratures
Allow the interior of the vehicle to warm
up before using the liquid crystal infor-
mation display. At extremely low tem-
peratures, the information display
monitor may respond slowly, and display
changes may be delayed.
For example, there is a lag between the
driver’s shifting and the new gear number
appearing on the display. This lag could
cause the driver to downshift again,
causing rapid and excessive engine brak-
ing and possibly an accident resulting in
personal death or injury.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the engine and
its components
●Do not let the indicator needle of the
tachometer enter the red zone, which
indicates the maximum engine speed.
●The engine may be overheating if the
engine coolant temperature gauge is
in the red zone (H); or “Engine Cool-
ant Temp High” is shown on the multi-
information display. In this case, imme-
diately stop the vehicle in a safe place,
and check the engine after it has
cooled completely. ( P.403)
Changing between the odome-
ter, trip meter and maintenance
required information
Changing the Instrument panel
light brightness

1504-1. Before driving
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
WARNING
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters,
spray cans, or soft drink cans in the
vehicle when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plas-
tic material of glasses to deform or
crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior
of the vehicle, and may also cause a
short circuit in the vehicle’s electrical
components.
●Do not leave cigarette lighters in the
vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a
place such as the glove box or on the
floor, it may be lit accidentally when
luggage is loaded or the seat is
adjusted, causing a fire.
●Do not attach adhesive discs to the
windshield or windows. Do not place
containers such as air fresheners on
the instrument pane l or dashboard.
Adhesive discs or containers may act
as lenses, causing a fire in the vehicle.
●Do not leave a door or window open if
the curved glass is coated with a met-
allized film such as a silver-colored
one. Reflected sunlight may cause the
glass to act as a lens, causing a fire.
●Always apply the parking brake, shift
the shift lever to P, stop the engine and
lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended
while the engine is running.
If the vehicle is parked with the shift
lever in P but the parking brake is not
set, the vehicle may start to move, pos-
sibly leading to an accident.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipes while
the engine is running or immediately
after turning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. Otherwise, if
you accidentally move the shift lever or
depress the accelerator pedal, this could
cause an accident or fire due to engine
overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is
parked in a poorly ventilated area,
exhaust gases may collect and enter the
vehicle, leading to death or a serious
health hazard.
■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 vehi-
cle.
●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, but
the brake pedal should be depressed
more firmly than usual. Also, the brak-
ing distance 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 individ-
ual hydraulic systems; if one of the sys-
tems fails, the other w ill 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 immediately.
■If the vehicle becomes stuck (AWD
models)
Do not spin the wheels excessively when
any of the tires is up in the air, or the vehi-
cle is stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may
damage the driveline components or
propel the vehicle forward or backward,
causing an accident.

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.

1654-2. Driving procedures
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
4
Driving
4-2.Driving procedures
1Check that the parking brake is set.
2 Check that the shift lever is in P.
3 Firmly depress the brake pedal.
and a message will be displayed on the
multi-information display.
If it is not displayed, the engine cannot be
started.
4 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.
■If the engine does not start
●The engine immobilizer system may not
have been deactivated. ( P.68) Contact your Lexus dealer.
●Check that the shift leve
r is securely set in
P. The engine may not start if the shift
lever is displaced out of P. “To Start Vehi-
cle, Put Shift Lever into P” will be dis-
played on the multi-information display.
●The smart access system with push-but-
ton start may not be operating properly.
(  P.398)
■Electronic key battery depletion
 P.96
■Conditions affecting operation
 P.118
■Note for the entry function
 P.118
■Steering lock function
●After turning the engine switch off and
opening and closing the doors, the steer-
ing wheel will be lock ed due to the steer-
ing lock function. Operating the engine
switch again automatically cancels the
steering lock.
●When the steering lock cannot be
released, “Steering Wheel Lock Press
Engine Switch while Turning Wheel” will
be displayed on the multi-information dis-
play.
Check that the shift lever is in P. Press the
engine switch while turning the steering
wheel left and right.
●To prevent the steering lock motor from
overheating, operation of the motor may
be suspended if the engine is turned on
and off repeatedly in a short period of
time. In this case, refrain from running the
engine. After about 10 seconds, the
steering lock motor will resume function-
ing.
Engine (ignition) switch
Performing the following opera-
tions when carryin g the electronic
key on your person starts the
engine or changes engine switch
modes.
Starting the engine

1744-2. Driving procedures
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
the switch again. (P.379)
■Parking brake operation
●When the engine switch is not in IGNI-
TION ON mode, the parking brake can-
not be released using the parking brake
switch.
●When the engine switch is not in IGNI-
TION ON mode, automatic mode (auto-
matic brake setting and releasing) is not
available.
■If “Parking Brake Overheated Parking
Brake Unavailable” is displayed on the
multi-information display
If the parking brake is operated repeatedly
over a short period of time, the system may
restrict operation to prevent overheating. If
this happens, refrain from operating the
parking brake. Normal operation will return
after about 1 minute.
■Parking brake operation sound
When the parking brake operates, a motor
sound (whirring sound) may be heard. This
does not indicate a malfunction.
■Parking brake indicator light and park-
ing brake lamp
●Depending on the engine switch mode,
the parking brake indicator light and
parking brake lamp will turn on and stay
on as described below:
IGNITION ON mode: Comes on until
the parking brake is released.
Not in IGNITION ON mode: Stays on
for approximately 15 seconds.
●When the engine switch is turned off with
the parking brake set, the parking brake
indicator light and parking brake lamp
will stay on for about 15 seconds. This
does not indicate a malfunction.
■Changing the mode
When changing the automatic mode on/off,
the message will be shown on the multi-
information display and the buzzer sounds.
■Parking the vehicle
 P.146
■Parking brake engaged warning buzzer
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is driven with the parking brake engaged. “Release
Parking Brake” is displayed on the multi-
information display.
■Warning messages and buzzers
Warning messages and buzzers are used to
indicate a system malfunction or to inform
the driver of the need for caution. If a warn-
ing message is shown on the multi-informa-
tion display, read the message and follow
the instructions.
■If the brake system warning light comes
on
 P.376
■Usage in winter time
 P.267
WARNING
■When parking the vehicle
Do not leave a child in the vehicle alone.
The parking brake may be released unin-
tentionally and there is the danger of the
vehicle moving that may lead to an acci-
dent resulting in death or serious injury.
■Parking brake switch
Do not set any objects near the parking
brake switch. Objects may interfere with
the switch and may lead the parking
brake to unexpectedly operate.
NOTICE
■When parking the vehicle
Before you leave the vehicle, shift the
shift lever to P, set the parking brake and
make sure that the vehicle does not
move.
■When the system malfunctions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and
check the warning messages.

1754-2. Driving procedures
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
4
Driving
Turns the brake hold system on
The brake hold standby indicator
(green) comes on. While the system is
holding the brake, the brake hold operated
indicator (yellow) comes on.
■Brake hold system operating conditions
The brake hold system cannot be turned on
in the following conditions:
●The driver’s door is not closed.
●The driver is not wearing the seat belt.
If any of the conditions above are detected
when the brake hold system is enabled, the
system will turn off and the brake hold
standby indicator light will go off. In addi-
tion, if any of the co nditions are detected
while the system is holding the brake, a
warning buzzer will sound and a message
NOTICE
■When the parking brake cannot be
released due to a malfunction
Driving the vehicle with the parking
brake set will lead to brake components
overheating, which may affect braking
performance and increase brake wear.
Have the vehicle inspected by contact
your Lexus dealer immediately if this
occurs.
Brake Hold
The brake hold system keeps the
brake applied when the shift lever is
in D, M or N with the system on and
the brake pedal has been
depressed to stop the vehicle. The
system releases the brake when the
accelerator pedal is depressed with
the shift lever in D or M to allow
smooth start off.
Enabling the system
A
B

2885-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
Vehicles with seat ventilators
Each time the switch is pressed, the opera-
tion condition changes as follows.
Hi (3 segments lit)  Mid (2 segments lit)
 Lo (1 segment lit)  Off
The indicator (amber) and level indicator
(green) light up during operation.
■Rear
Each time the switch is pressed, the
operation condition changes as fol-
lows.
Hi (3 segments lit)  Mid (2 segments
lit)  Lo (1 segment lit)  Off
The level indicator (amber) lights up
during operation.
■Operation condition
The seat heaters can be used when the
engine switch is in IGNITION ON mode.
Each time the switch is pressed, the
operation condition changes as fol-
lows.
Hi (3 segments lit)  Mid (2 segments
lit)  Lo (1 segment lit)  Off
The indicator (green) and level indicator
(green) light up during operation.
■Operation condition
The engine switch is in IGNITION ON
mode.
A
A
WARNING
■To prevent causes of overheating and
minor burn injuries
Observe the following precautions when
using a seat heater
●Do not cover the seat with a blanket or
cushion when using the seat heater.
●Do not use seat heater more than nec-
essary.
Seat ventilators (front)
A

3767-2. Steps to take in an emergency
LEXUS NX300 Owners Manual_USA_M78389_en
■High coolant temperature warning light* (warning buzzer)
*: This light illuminates on the multi-information display.
■Brake system warning light
■Malfunction indicator lamp
■SRS warning light
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates that the engine is overheating
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place. Continu-
ing to drive the vehicle may be dangerous.
Handling method ( P.403)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(Yellow)
Indicates a malfunction in the electric parking brake
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
Indicates a malfunction in:
 The electronic engine control system;
 The electronic throttle control system; or
 The electronic automatic transmission control system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates a malfunction in:
The SRS airbag system;
 The front passenger occupant classification system; or
 The seat belt pretensioner system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately.