
1994-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
■ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Helps to prevent wheel lock when the
brakes are applied suddenly, or if the
brakes are applied while driving on a
slippery road surface
■Brake assist
Generates an increased level of brak-
ing force after the brake pedal is
depressed when the system detects a
panic stop situation
■VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
Helps the driver to control skidding
when swerving sudden ly or turning on
slippery road surfaces
■Enhanced VSC (Enhanced Vehi-
cle Stability Control)
Provides cooperative control of the
ABS, TRAC, VSC and EPS.
Helps to maintain directional stability
when swerving on slippery road sur-
faces by controlling steering perfor-
mance.
■TRAC (Traction Control)
Helps to maintain drive power and pre-
vent the drive wheels from spinning
when starting the vehicle or accelerat-
ing on slippery roads
■Hill-start assist control
Helps to reduce the backward move-
ment of the vehicle when starting on an
uphill
■EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce
the amount of effort needed to turn the
steering wheel
■Adaptive Variable Suspension Sys-
tem
By independently controlling the
damping force of th e shock absorbers
for each of the 4 wheels according to
the road and driving conditions, this
system combines riding comfort with
superior vehicle stability, and helps
good vehicle posture.
■VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Inte-
grated Management)
Provides integrated control of the
ABS, brake assist, TRAC, VSC,
hill-start assist control and EPS systems
Helps to maintain vehicle stability when
swerving on slippery road surfaces by
controlling the brakes, engine output
and steering assist.
■When the TRAC/VSC systems are
operating
The slip indicator light will flash while the
TRAC/VSC systems are operating.
Driving assist systems
To keep enhance driving safety and
performance, the following systems
operate automatically in response
to various driving situations. Be
aware, however, that these systems
are supplementary and should not
be relied upon too heavily when
operating the vehicle.
Summary of the driving assist
systems

2004-5. Using the driving support systems
■Disabling the TRAC system
If the vehicle gets stuck in mud, dirt or snow,
the TRAC system may reduce power from
the engine to the wheels. Pressing the
switch to turn the system off may make it
easier for you to rock the vehicle in order to
free it.
To turn the TRAC system off, quickly press
and release the switch.
The “TRAC OFF” indicator light will come
on.
Press the switch again to turn the sys-
tem back on.
■Turning off both TRAC and VSC sys-
tems
To turn the TRAC and VSC systems off,
press and hold the switch for more
than 3 seconds.
The “TRAC OFF” indicator light and the
VSC OFF indicator light will come on.
*
Press the switch ag ain to turn the sys-
tems back on.
*: On vehicles with PCS (Pre-Collision System), pre-collision brake assist and
precollision braking will also be disabled.
The pre-collision system warning light
will come on and a message will be dis-
played on the multi- information display.
( P.163)
■Expert mode
When expert mode is selected, it is possible
to drive in a more sporty manner than other
drive modes. Expert mode disables the
TRAC and VSC systems but the engine and
brakes may be controlled depending on the
vehicle behavior.
To select expert mode, press the
switch when in SPORT S+ mode.
The “EXPERT” indicator will come on
together with the TRAC OFF and VSC
OFF indicators.
To cancel expert mode, press the
switch or use the driving mode select switch
to select a driving mode other than SPORT
S+ mode.
■When the “TRAC OFF” indicator light
comes on even if the switch has not
been pressed
TRAC is temporary deactivated. If the indi-

2034-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
4-6.Driving tips
Use fluids that are appropriate to
the prevailing outside temperatures.
•Engine oil
• Engine coolant
•Washer fluid
Have a service technician inspect
the condition of the battery.
Have the vehicle fitted with four
snow tires.
Ensure that all tires are the specified size
and the same brand.
Perform the following according to the
driving conditions:
Do not try to forcibly open a window
or move a wiper that is frozen. Pour
warm water over the frozen area to
melt the ice. Wipe away the water
immediately to prevent it from
freezing.
To ensure proper operation of the
climate control system fan, remove
any snow that has accumulated on
the air inlet vents in front of the
windshield.
Check for and remove any excess
ice or snow that may have accumu-
lated on the exterior lights, vehicle’s
roof, chassis, around the tires or on
the brakes.
Remove any snow or mud from the
bottom of your shoes before getting
in the vehicle.
Accelerate the vehicle slowly, keep a
safe distance between you and the
vehicle ahead, and drive at a reduced
speed suitable to road conditions.
Winter driving tips
Carry out the necessary prepara-
tions and inspections before driving
the vehicle in winter. Always drive
the vehicle in a manner appropriate
to the prevailing weather condi-
tions.
Preparation for winter
WARNING
■Driving with snow tires
Observe the following precautions to
reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so may result in a loss of
vehicle control and cause death or seri-
ous injury.
●Use tires of the specified size.
●Maintain the recommended level of air
pressure.
●Do not drive in excess of 75 mph (120
km/h), regardless of the type of snow
tires being used.
●Use snow tires on all, not just some
wheels.
NOTICE
■Repairing or replacing snow tires
Request repairs or replacement of snow
tires from Lexus dealers or legitimate tire
retailers.
This is because the removal and attach-
ment of snow tires affects the operation
of the tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters.
Before driving the vehicle
When driving the vehicle

2426-1. Maintenance and care
■Brake caliper coating
●When using detergent, use neutral deter-
gent. Do not use hard brushes or abra-
sive cleaners, as they will damage the
paint.
●Do not use detergent on the brake cali-
pers when they are hot.
●Wash detergent off immediately after
use.
■Brake pads and calipers
Rust may form if the vehicle is parked with
wet brake pads or disc rotors, causing them
to stick. Before parking the vehicle after it is
washed, drive slowly and apply the brakes
several times to dry the parts.
■Bumpers
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■Side windows water- repellent coating
●The following precautions can extend the
effectiveness of the water-repellent coat-
ing.
• Remove any dirt, etc. from the side win- dows regularly.
• Do not allow dirt and dust to accumulate
on the windows for a long period.
Clean the windows with a soft, damp cloth
as soon as possible.
• Do not use wax or glass cleaners that contain abrasives when cleaning the win-
dows.
• Do not use any metallic objects to remove condensation build up.
●When the water-repellent performance
has become insufficie nt, the coating can
be repaired. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Plated portions
If dirt cannot be removed, clean the parts as
follows:
●Use a soft cloth dampened with an approximately 5% solution of neutral
detergent and water to clean the dirt off.
●Wipe the surface with a dry, soft cloth to
remove any remaining moisture.
●To remove oily deposits, use alcohol wet
wipes or a similar product.
WARNING
■When washing the vehicle
Do not apply water to the inside of the
engine compartment. Doing so may
cause the electrical components, etc. to
catch fire.
■When cleaning the windshield (vehi-
cles with rain-sensing windshield wip-
ers)
Set the wipers to the intermittent wind-
shield wipers. (
P.143)
If AUTO mode is selected, the wipers
may operate unexpectedly in the follow-
ing situations, and may result in hands
being caught or other serious injuries
and cause damage to the wiper blades.
●When the upper part of the windshield
where the raindrop sensor is located is
touched by hand
●When a wet rag or similar is held close
to the raindrop sensor
●If something bumps against the wind-
shield
●If you directly touch the raindrop sen-
sor body or if something bumps into
the raindrop sensor

2596-3. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Radiator and con-
denser
The radiator and con-
denser should be free
from foreign objects.
( P.270)
Washer fluid
Is there sufficient
washer fluid?
( P.272)
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.
Indicators/buzz-
ers•Do the indicators and buzzers function
properly?
Lights• Do all the lights come on?
Parking brake
• Does the parking brake pedal move
smoothly?
• 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

2957-1. 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 window
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* for
emergency escape
The front side window s and rear window
of this vehicle can be shattered by an
emergency hammer
* used for emer-
gency escape. However, an emergency
hammer
* can not shatter the windshield
as it is laminated glass.
*: Contact your Lexus dealer or after-
market accessory manufacturerfor
further information about an emer-
gency hammer.

2987-2. Steps to take in an emergency
The following may indicate a problem
with your transmission. Contact your
Lexus dealer or commercial towing
service before towing.
The engine is running but the vehi-
cle does not move.
The vehicle makes an abnormal
sound.
From the front
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
hard surfaced roads for at most 50
miles (80 km) at under 18 mph (30
km/h).
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer
and operate the brakes. The vehicle’s
wheels, drive train, axles, steering and
brakes must be in good condition.
Situations when it is necessary to
contact dealers before towing
Towing with a wheel-lift type
truck
NOTICE
■Towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck to pre-
vent body damage.
Using a flatbed truck
Emergency towing

2997-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
To have your vehicle towed by another
vehicle, the towing eyelet must be
installed to your vehicle. Install the tow-
ing eyelet using the following proce-
dure.
1Take out the towing eyelet.
(P.314, 320)
2 Remove the eyelet cover using a
flathead screwdriver.
To protect the bodywork, place a rag
between the screwdriver and the vehicle
body as shown in the illustration.
3Insert the towing eyelet into the
hole and tighten partially by hand. 4
Tighten down the towing eyelet
securely using a phillips-head
screwdriver or hard metal bar.
5 Securely attach cables or chains to
the towing eyelet.
Take care not to damage the vehi-
cle body.
6 Enter the vehicle being towed and
start the engine.
If the engine does not start, turn the
engine switch to IGNITION ON
mode.
7 Shift the shift lever to N and release
the parking brake.
When the shift lever cannot be
shifted: P.133
■While towing
If the engine is not running, the power assist
for the brakes and steering will not function,
making steering and braking more difficult.
■Wheel nut wrench
Wheel nut wrench is installed in trunk.
( P.314, 320)
Emergency towing procedure