2054-1. Before driving
4
Driving
RX350/RX350L_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped engine running. This prevents
the vehicle from creeping.
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accelerator ped-
als to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator 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 operat-
ing the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving po sture even when moving the vehicle only
slightly. This allows you to depress th e brake and accelerator pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay re sponse 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 flammable 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 emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way: P. 645
●Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving down a steep
hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause th e brakes to overheat and lose effective-
ness. ( P. 240)
●Do not adjust the positions of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or outside rear
view mirrors while driving.
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 of f-road driving. Proceed with all due cau-
tion if it becomes unavoidable to drive off-road.
●Do not drive across a river or through other bodies of water.
This may cause electric/elect ronic 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 permits 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 no t before driving at such speeds.
2064-1. Before driving
RX350/RX350L_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and reduce your
ability to control the vehicle.
●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 properly. Wet brake pads may prevent the brakes from func-
tioning properly. If the brakes on only on e side are wet and not functioning properly,
steering control may be affected.
■When shifting the shift lever
●Do not let the vehicle roll backward while the shift lever is in a driving position, 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 perfor-
mance, resulting in an accide nt 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 control.
●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 control.
●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 control.
●Shifting the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage the engine.
Engine braking is not avai lable 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 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 indicators)
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.
2074-1. Before driving
4
Driving
RX350/RX350L_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■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 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 parking brake as neces-
sary.
●If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, in order to prevent accidents caused by the
vehicle rolling forward or backward, alwa ys 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, sp ray 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 cau se the plastic lenses and plastic mate-
rial 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 circui t 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 windsh ield or windows. Do not place containers
such as air fresheners on th e instrument panel or dashboard. Adhesive discs or con-
tainers may act as lenses, ca using a fire in the vehicle.
●Do not leave a door or window open if th e curved glass is coated with a metallized
film such as a silver-colored one. Reflecte d 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 unattend ed while the engine is running.
If the vehicle is parked with the shift leve r in P but the parking brake is not set, the
vehicle may start to move, possibly leading to an accident.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipes while the engine is running or immediately after turn-
ing the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.
2204-1. Before driving
RX350/RX350L_U
●A recommended tongue weight varies in accordance with the types of trailers
or towing as described below.
●To ensure the recommended values show n below, the trailer must be loaded
by referring to the following instructions. • Tongue Weight
The gross trailer weight should be dist ributed so that the tongue weight is
9% to 11%.
(Tongue weight /Gross trailer weight x 100 = 9% to 11%)
Gross trailer weight
Tongue weight
The gross trailer weight, gross axle weight and tongue weight can be mea-
sured with platform scales found at a highway weighing station, building
supply company, trucking company, junk yard, etc.
Trailer hitch assemblies have different weight capacities. Lexus recommends the
use of Lexus hitch/bracket for your ve hicle. For details, contact your Lexus
dealer.
●If you wish to install a trailer hitch, contact your Lexus dealer.
●Use only a hitch that conforms to the gross trailer weight requirement of your
vehicle.
●Follow the directions supplied by the hitch manufacturer.
●Lubricate the hitch ball with a light coating of grease.
●Remove the trailer hitch whenever you ar e not towing a trailer. After removing
the hitch, seal any mounting hole in the vehicle body to prevent entry of any
substances into the vehicle.
Trailer Tongue Weight
1
2
Hitch
2224-1. Before driving
RX350/RX350L_U
Use the wire harness stored in the rear
end under body.
■Auto current cut-off function
In case of over current, the auto cut-off function stops the power flowing to the trailer
lights to prevent damage to the vehicle’s electrical system.
This function is activated when the rated current of any of the following trailer light circuit
components is exceeded:
●Tail lights: maximum 7.8 A
●Stop/turn signal light (right): maximum 4.5 A
●Stop/turn signal light (left): maximum 4.5 A
■When the auto current cu t function is activated
If a trailer light does not come on due to th e activation of the auto current cut function,
the light system will need to be reset.
Follow the reset procedure shown below.
●If a tail light does not come on, turn off the headlight switch.
●If the right-side stop/turn signal light does not come on, put the turn signal in the off
position or remove foot from the brake pedal.
●If the left-side stop/turn signal light does not come on, put the turn signal in the off posi-
tion or remove foot from the brake pedal.
If the emergency flashers do not operate, press the emergency flasher switch to turn
them off.
After the light system is reset, operate the lig ht switches again to see if the lights operate
normally.
If the lights do not operate normally, have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
Connecting trailer lights
2234-1. Before driving
4
Driving
RX350/RX350L_U
Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. Help to avoid an acci-
dent, death or serious injury, keep the following in mind when towing:
●Speed limits for towing a trailer vary by state or province. Do not exceed the
posted towing speed limit.
●Lexus recommends that the vehicle-traile r speed limit is 65 mph (104 km/h)
on a flat, straight, dry road. Do not exce ed this limit, the posted towing speed
limit or the speed limit for your trailer as set forth in your trailer owner’s man-
ual, whichever is lowest. Instability of the towing vehicle-trailer combination
(trailer sway) increases as speed increases. Exceeding speed limits may cause
loss of control.
●Before starting out, check the trailer lights, tires and the vehicle-trailer con-
nections. Recheck after driving a short distance.
●Practice turning, stopping and reversing with the trailer attached in an area
away from traffic until you become acc ustomed to the feel of the vehicle-
trailer combination.
●Reversing with a trailer attached is di fficult and requires practice. Grip the
bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the left to move the
trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to move the trailer to right. (This
is generally opposite to reversing with out a trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or
prolonged turning. Have someone guid e you when reversing to reduce the
risk of an accident.
●As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to vehicle dis-
tance 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 jackknifing and a
loss of vehicle control. This is especi ally true on wet or slippery surfaces.
●Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
●Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, an d slow down before making a 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 surfaces,
etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can destabilize the trailer.
●Take care when passing other vehicles . Passing requires considerable dis-
tance. After passing a vehicle, do not fo rget the length of your trailer, and be
sure you have plenty of room before changing lanes.
Trailer towing tips
2254-1. Before driving
4
Driving
RX350/RX350L_U
■Matching trailer ball height to trailer coupler height
■Before towing
Check that the following conditions are met:
●Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are properly inflated. ( P. 704)
●Trailer tires are inflated according to the trailer manufacturer’s recommendation.
●All trailer lights work as required by law.
●All lights work each time you connect them.
●The trailer ball is set at the proper height for the coupler on the trailer.
●The trailer is level when it is hitched.
Do not drive if the trailer is not level, and check for improper to ngue weight, overload-
ing, worn suspension, or other possible causes.
●The trailer cargo is securely loaded.
●The rear view mirrors conform to all applicable federal, state/provincial or local regula-
tions. If they do not, install rear view mirrors appropriate for towing purposes.
■AVS (adaptive variable suspension system) (if equipped)
The suspension can be switched fo r improvement in driveability. (P. 379)
No matter which class of tow hitch
applies, for a more safe trailer hookup,
the trailer ball setup
must be the proper
height for the coupler on the trailer.
Coupler
Trailer ball
1
2
2284-1. Before driving
RX350/RX350L_U
WARNING
■Hitch
Trailer hitch assemblies have different weight capacities established by the hitch manu-
facturer. Even though the vehicle may be phys ically capable of towing a higher weight,
the operator must determine the maximum weight rating of the particular hitch assem-
bly and never exceed the maximum weight rating specified for the trailer-hitch.
Exceeding the maximum weight rating set by the trailer-hitch manufacturer can cause
an accident resulting in death or serious personal injuries.
■When towing a trailer
Lexus recommends trailers with brakes that conform to any applicable federal and
state/provincial regulations.
●If the gross trailer weight exceeds unbraked TWR, trailer brakes are required. Lexus
recommends trailers with brakes that conform to all applicable federal and state/pro-
vincial regulations.
●Never tap into your vehicle’s hydraulic system, as this will lower the vehicle’s braking
effectiveness.
●Never tow a trailer without using a safety chain securely attached to both the trailer
and the vehicle. If damage occurs to the co upling unit or hitch ball, there is danger of
the trailer wandering into another lane.
NOTICE
■When installing a trailer hitch
Use only the position recommended by your Lexus dealer. Do not install the trailer
hitch on the bumper; this may cause body damage.
■Do not directly splice trailer lights
Do not directly splic e trailer lights. Directly splicin g trailer lights may damage your
vehicle’s electrical system and cause a malfunction.