3076-1. Maintenance and care
6
Maintenance and care
Remove dirt and dust using a vac-
uum cleaner. Wipe dirty surfaces
with a cloth dampened with luke-
warm water.
If dirt cannot be removed, wipe it off
with a soft cloth dampened with
neutral detergent diluted to approx-
imately 1%.
Wring out any excess water from
the cloth and thoroughly wipe off
remaining traces of detergent and
water.
■Shampooing the carpets
There are several commercial foaming-
type cleaners available. Use a sponge or
brush to apply the foam. Rub in overlapping
circles. Do not use wa ter. Wipe dirty sur-
faces and let them dry. Excellent results are
obtained by keeping the carpet as dry as
possible.
■Handling the seat belts
Clean with mild soap and lukewarm water
using a cloth or spon ge. Also check the
belts periodically for excessive wear, fray-
ing or cuts.
■When cleaning the carpeted portions of
the glove box, console box, etc.
If a strong adhesive tape is used, there is a
possibility that the surface of the carpet
could be damaged.
Cleaning and protecting the
vehicle interior
Perform cleaning in a manner
appropriate to each component
and its material.
Protecting the vehicle interior
WARNING
■Water in the vehicle
●Do not splash or spill liquid in the vehi-
cle.
Doing so may cause electrical compo-
nents etc. to malfunction or catch fire.
●Do not get any of the SRS components
or wiring in the vehicle interior wet.
( P.28)
An electrical malfunction may cause
the airbags to deploy or not function
properly, resulting in death or serious
injury.
■Cleaning the interior (especially
instrument panel)
Do not use polish wax or polish cleaner.
The instrument panel may reflect off the
windshield, obstructin g the driver’s view
and leading to an accident, resulting in
death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■Cleaning detergents
●Do not use the following types of
detergent, as they may discolor the
vehicle interior or cause streaks or
damage to painted surfaces:
• Non-seat portions: Organic sub- stances such as benzene or gasoline,
alkaline or acidic solutions, dye, and
bleach
• Seats: Alkaline or acidic solutions, such as thinner, benzene, and alcohol
●Do not use polish wax or polish
cleaner. The instrument panel’s or
other interior part’s painted surface
may be damaged.
■Preventing damage to leather sur-
faces
Observe the following precautions to
avoid damage to and deterioration of
leather surfaces:
●Remove any dust or dirt from leather
surfaces immediately.
3116-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Radiator/con-
denser
The radiator and con-
denser should be free
from foreign objects.
( P.322)
Washer fluid
Is there sufficient
washer fluid?
( P.325)
Vehicle interior
ItemsCheck points
Accelerator
pedal
• The accelerator
pedal should move
smoothly (without
uneven pedal effort
or catching).
Automatic trans-
mission “Park”
mechanism
•When parked on a slope and the shift
lever is in P, is the
vehicle securely
stopped?
Brake pedal
•Does the brake pedal move
smoothly?
•Does the brake pedal have appro-
priate clearance
from the floor?
•Does the brake pedal have the cor-
rect amount of free
play?
ItemsCheck points
Brakes
•The vehicle should not pull to one side
when the brakes are
applied.
• The brakes should work effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel
spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get too
close to the floor
when the brakes are
applied.
Head restraints
•Do the head restraints move
smoothly and lock
securely?
Indicators/buzz-
ers•Do the indicators and buzzers function
properly?
Lights
• Do all the lights come on?
• Are the headlights aimed correctly?
Parking brake
• Does the parking brake operate nor-
mally?
• When parked on a slope and the park-
ing brake is on, is the
vehicle securely
stopped?
Seat belts
• Do the seat belts operate smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be damaged.
ItemsCheck points
3156-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Tire inflation
pressure
( P.336)• Tire pressure gauge
• Compressed air source
Washer fluid
( P.325)
• Water or washer fluid
containing antifreeze
(for winter use)
• Funnel (used only for adding water or washer
fluid)
WARNING
The engine compartment contains many
mechanisms and fluids that may move
suddenly, become hot, or become elec-
trically energized. To avoid death or seri-
ous injury, observe the following
precautions.
■When working on the engine com-
partment
●Keep hands, clothi ng and tools away
from the moving fan and engine drive
belt.
●Be careful not to touch the engine,
radiator, exhaust manifold, etc. right
after driving as they may be hot. Oil
and other fluids may also be hot.
●Do not leave anything that may burn
easily, such as paper and rags, in the
engine compartment.
●Do not smoke, cause sparks or expose
an open flame to fuel or the battery.
Fuel and battery fumes are flammable.
■When working near the electric cool-
ing fan or radiator grille
Be sure the engine switch is off.
With the engine switch in IGNITION
ON mode, the electric cooling fan may
automatically start to run if the air condi-
tioning is on and/or the coolant tempera-
ture is high. ( P.322)
ItemsParts and tools■Safety glasses
Wear safety glasses to prevent flying or
falling material, fluid spray, etc. from get-
ting in your eyes.
NOTICE
■If you remove the air cleaner filter
Driving with the air cleaner filter
removed may cause excessive engine
wear due to dirt in the air.
3276-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed perfor-
mance tires best suited to highway driv-
ing under dry conditions. Since summer
tires do not have the same traction per-
formance as snow tires, summer tires are
inadequate for driving on snow-covered
or icy roads. For driving on snow-cov-
ered roads or icy roads, the use of snow
tires is recommended. When installing
snow tires, be sure to replace all four
tires.
●All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide
better traction in snow and to be ade-
quate for driving in most winter condi-
tions as well as for use year-round. All
season tires, however, do not have ade-
quate traction performance compared
with snow tires in heavy or loose snow.
Also, all season tires fall short in accelera-
tion and handling performance com-
pared with summer tires in highway
driving.
●Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy
roads, we recommend using snow tires. If
you need snow tires, select tires of the
same size, construction and load capacity
as the originally insta lled tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equip-
ment, make sure your snow tires also
have radial construction. Do not install
studded tires without first checking local
regulations for possible restrictions.
Snow tires should be installed on all
wheels. ( P.251)
■If the tread on snow tires wears down
below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is
lost.
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to
prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to
parts of the drivetrain as well as danger-
ous handling characteristics, which may
lead to an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.
●Do not mix tires of different makes,
models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of remarkably
different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than those
recommended by Lexus.
●Do not mix differently constructed
tires (radial, bias-belted or bias-ply
tires).
●Do not tow if your vehicle has a com-
pact spare tire installed.
●Do not mix summer, all season and
snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have been used
on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not know
how they were used previously.
NOTICE
■Driving on rough roads
Take particular care when driving on
roads with loose surfaces or potholes.
These conditions may cause losses in tire
inflation pressure, reducing the cushion-
ing ability of the tires. In addition, driving
on rough roads may cause damage to
the tires themselves, as well as the vehi-
cle’s wheels and body.
■Low profile tires (18-inch/19-inch
tires)
Low profile tires may cause greater dam-
age than usual to the tire wheel when
sustaining impact from the road surface.
Therefore, pay attention to the following:
3537-1. Essential information
7
When trouble arises
seconds or more, or press it briefly
3 times or more in succession.
5 Stop the vehicle in a safe place by
the road.
Remove the seat belt first.
If the door can be opened, open the
door and exit the vehicle.
If the door can not be opened, open
the window using the power win-
dow switch and exit the vehicle
through the window.
If the window can not be opened
using the power window switch,
remain calm, wait until the water
level inside the vehicle rises to the
point that the water pressure inside
of the vehicle equals the water pres-
sure outside of the vehicle, and then
open the door and exit the vehicle.
WARNING
■If the engine has to be turned off while
driving
Power assist for the brakes and steering
wheel will be lost, making the brake
pedal harder to depress and the steering
wheel heavier to turn. Decelerate as
much as possible before turning off the
engine.
If the vehicle is trapped in
rising water
In the event the vehicle is sub-
merged in water, remain calm and
perform the following.
WARNING
■Using an emergency hammer*1 for
emergency escape
The rear side windows and rear window
of this vehicle can be shattered by an
emergency hammer
*1 used for emer-
gency escape, however, since the wind-
shield and front side windows
*2 are
laminated glass they can not be shat-
tered by an emergency hammer
*1.
*1: Contact your Lexus dealer or after-
market accessory manufacturer for
further information about an emer-
gency hammer.
*2: Vehicles with laminated glass
3577-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
From the front (2WD models)
Release the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. ( P.155)
From the front (AWD models)
Use a towing dolly under the rear
wheels.
From the rear
Use a towing dolly under the front
wheels. When using a flat-bed truck to trans-
port the vehicle, use tire strapping
belts. Refer to the owner’s manual of
the flat-bed truck for the tire strapping
method.
In order to suppress vehicle movement
during transportation, set the parking
brake and turn the engine switch off.
If a tow truck is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tem-
porarily towed using cables or chains
secured to the emergency towing eye-
lets. This should only be attempted on
Towing with a wheel-lift type
truckNOTICE
■Towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck to pre-
vent body damage.
2WD models
AWD models
Using a flatbed truck
Emergency towing (vehicles
with a towing eyelet)
3627-2. Steps to take in an emergency
■Charging system warning light* (warning buzzer)
*: This light illuminates on the multi-information display.
■Low engine oil pressure warning light* (warning buzzer)
*: This light illuminates on the multi-information display.
■Malfunction indicator lamp (warning buzzer)
■SRS warning light (warning buzzer)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates a malfunction in the vehicle’s charging system
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact your
Lexus dealer.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates that the engine oil pressure is too low
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact your
Lexus dealer.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(U.S.A.)
or
(Canada)
Indicates a malfunction in:
The electronic engine control system; or
The electronic throttle control system;
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact your
Lexus dealer.
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.
3647-2. Steps to take in an emergency
■Low fuel level warning light
■Driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt reminder light (warning buzzer)*
*: Driver’s seat belt warning buzzer:
The driver’s seat belt warning buzzer sounds to alert the driver that his or her seat belt is
not fastened. Once the engine switch is turned to IGNITION ON mode, the buzzer
sounds. If the seat belt is still unfastened, the buzzer sounds intermittently for a certain
period of time after the vehicle reaches a certain speed.
Front passenger’s seat belt warning buzzer:
The front passenger’s seat belt warning buzzer sounds to alert the front passenger that his
or her seat belt is not fastened. If the seat belt is unfastened, the buzzer sounds intermit-
tently for a certain period of time af ter the vehicle reaches a certain speed.
■Rear passengers’ seat belt reminder lights (warning buzzer)*
*: Rear passengers’ seat belt warning buzzer:
The rear passengers’ seat belt warning buzzer sounds to alert the rear passenger that his
or her seat belt is not fastened. If the seat belt is unfastened, the buzzer sounds intermit-
tently for a certain period of time, after the seat belt is fastened and unfastened and the
vehicle reaches a certain speed.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
2WD models: Indicates that remaining fuel is approximately 2.4 gal. (9
L, 2.0 Imp.gal.) or less
AWD models: Indicates that remaining fuel is approximately 2.1 gal. (8
L, 1.8 Imp.gal.) or less
Refuel the vehicle.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Warns the driver and/or front passe nger to fasten their seat belts
Fasten the seat belt.
If the front passenger’s seat is occupied, the front passenger’s seat
belt also needs to be fastened to make the warning light (warning
buzzer) turn off.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Warns the rear passengers to fasten their seat belts
Fasten the seat belt.