
1184-1. Before driving
WARNING
• 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.
However, in the event of an emer-
gency, such as if it becomes impossible 
to stop the vehicle in the normal way: 
P.276
●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.129)
●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.
●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 capability tires 
or not before 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.
●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 shif t 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 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. 

1194-1. Before driving
4
Driving
WARNING
●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.
●Moving 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 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.
Front brakes on F SPORT models 
(RC350 [2WD]/RC300 [2WD] only): 
Moderate levels of brake 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 mea-
sured. 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 vehicle is in any gear other than P 
or N, the vehicle may accelerate sud-
denly and unexpectedly, causing 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.
■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 cigare tte 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 panel or dashboard. 
Adhesive discs or containers may act 
as lenses, causing a fire in the vehicle. 

2556-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■Brake fluid can absorb moisture from 
the air
Excess moisture in the brake fluid can cause 
a dangerous loss of braking efficiency. Use 
only newly opened brake fluid.
Check the battery as follows.
■Battery exterior
Make sure that the battery terminals 
are not corroded and that there are no 
loose connections, cracks, or loose 
clamps. Terminals
Hold-down clamp
■Before recharging
When recharging, the battery produces 
hydrogen gas which is flammable and 
explosive. Therefore, observe the following 
before recharging:
●If recharging with the battery installed on 
the vehicle, be sure to disconnect the 
ground cable.
●Make sure the power switch on the char-
ger is off when connecting and discon-
necting the charger cables to the battery.
■After recharging/reconnecting the bat-
tery
The engine may not start. Follow the proce-
dure below to initialize the system.
1
Shift the shift lever to P.
2
Open and close either door.
3
Restart the engine.
●Unlocking the doors using the smart 
access system with pu sh-button start may 
not be possible immediately after recon-
necting the battery. If this happens, use 
the wireless remote control or the 
mechanical key to lock/unlock the doors.
●Start the engine with the engine switch in 
ACCESSORY mode. The engine may 
not start with the engine switch turned off. 
However, the engine will operate nor-
mally from the second attempt.
●The engine switch mode is recorded by 
the vehicle. If the battery is disconnected 
and reconnected, the vehicle will return 
the engine switch mode to the status it 
was in before the battery was discon-
nected. Make sure to turn off the engine 
before disconnecting the battery. Take 
extra care when connecting the battery if 
the engine switch mode prior to the bat-
tery being disconnected is unknown.
If the system will not start even after multi-
ple attempts, contact your Lexus dealer.
WARNING
■When filling the reservoir
Take care as brake fluid can harm your 
hands and eyes and damage painted sur-
faces.If fluid gets on your hands or in your 
eyes, flush the affected area with clean 
water immediately.
If you still experience discomfort, see a 
doctor.
NOTICE
■If the fluid level is low or high
It is normal for the brake fluid level to go 
down slightly as the brake pads wear out 
or when the fluid level in the accumulator 
is high.
If the reservoir need s frequent refilling, 
there may be a serious problem.
Battery
A
B