1384-1. Before driving
WARNING
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with
the location of the brake and accelera-
tor pedals to avoid depressing the
wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelera- tor 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 a difficulty in
operating the pedals. Make sure to
operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle
only slightly. This allows you to depress
the brake and accelerator pedals
properly.
• 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, however,
power assist to the steering will be lost.
This will make it more difficult to steer
smoothly, so you should pull over and
stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to
do so.
In the event of an emergency, such as
if it becomes impo ssible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way: P.306
●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.150)
●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 fail-
ure, 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,
resulting in an accident.
●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
control may be affected.
■When shifting the shift position
●Do not let the vehicle roll backward
while a forward driving position is
selected, or roll forw ard while the shift
position 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.
1394-1. Before driving
4
Driving
WARNING
●Do not shift the shift position 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 position to R while
the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission
and may result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol.
●Do not shift the shift position to a driv-
ing position while the vehicle is moving
backward.
Doing so can damage the transmission
and may result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol.
●Changing the shift position 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 change the shift posi-
tion with the accelerator pedal
depressed. Changing the shift posi-
tion to any positions other than P or N
may lead to unexpected rapid acceler-
ation of the vehicle that may cause an
accident and result in death or serious
injury.
After changing the shift position, make
sure to confirm the current shift posi-
tion displayed on the shift position indi-
cator inside the meter.
■Brake pad wear
If any of the following situations occurs,
have the brake pads visually checked
and replaced by your Lexus dealer as
soon as possible.
●If the thickness of the brake pads
exceeds the brake pad wear limit
when visually checking all four brake
pads (for the brake pad wear limit,
refer to P.354)
●If “Brake Pad Wear Visit Your Dealer”
is displayed (only the right-side pads
can be detected)
Rotor damage may result if the pads are
not replaced when needed.
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not race the engine.
If the shift position is any position other
than P or N, the vehicle may acceler-
ate suddenly and unexpectedly, caus-
ing 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 light-
ers, 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.
2786-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
If any washer does not work or “Wind-
shield Washer Fluid Low” is shown on
the multi-information display, the
washer tank may be empty. Add
washer fluid.
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.
Checking and adding the washer
fluid
WARNING
■When adding washer fluid
Do not add washer fluid when the engine
is hot or running as washer fluid contains
alcohol and may catch fire if spilled on
the engine etc.
NOTICE
■Do not use any fluid other than
washer fluid
Do not use soapy water or engine anti-
freeze instead of washer fluid.
Doing so may cause streaking on the
vehicle’s painted surfaces, as well as
damaging the pump leading to problems
of the washer fluid not spraying.
■Diluting washer fluid
Dilute washer fluid with water as neces-
sary.
Refer to the freezing temperatures listed
on the label of the washer fluid bottle.
3147-2. Steps to take in an emergency
■Brake system warning light (warning buzzer)
■Charging system warning light*
*: This light illuminates on the multi-information display.
■Low engine oil pressure warning light (warning buzzer)*
*: This light illuminates on the multi-information display.
If a warning light turns on or a warning buzzer sounds
Calmly perform the following actions if any of the warning lights comes on or
flashes. If a light comes on or flashes, bu t then goes off, this does not necessar-
ily indicate a malfunction in the system. However, if this continues to occur,
have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
Actions to the warning lights or warning buzzers
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(U.S.A.)
(red)
(Canada)
Indicates that:
The brake fluid level is low; or
The brake system is malfunctioning
This light also comes on when the pa rking brake is not released. If the
light turns off after the parking brake is fully released the system is oper-
ating normally.
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact your
Lexus dealer. Continuing to driv e the vehicle may be dangerous.
Indicates that the brake pads are worn out (only the right-side pads
can be detected)
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
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.