Page 405 of 528
4056-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
tape to the taillight unit and fold the
excess in half.
2 Hold the folded portion and pull it
toward the rear of the vehicle to
remove the light unit.
5 Turn the bulb base counterclock-
wise and remove it.
6 Remove the light bulb.
7 Install a new light bulb and then
install the bulb base to the light unit
by inserting it and turning it clock-
wise.
After installing the bulb base, wiggle it
lightly to make sure it is securely installed
and turn on the rear turn signal lights to
visually check that ther e is no light leaking from between the bulb
base and light unit.
8Install the light unit.
Align the tabs and push the light unit-
toward the front of the vehicle to install it.
9Install the 2 screws.
Page 409 of 528

409
7
7
When trouble arises
When trouble arises
.7-1. Essential informationEmergency flashers................... 410
If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency ........................... 410
If the vehicle is trapped in rising water.............................................. 411
7-2. Steps to take in an emergency If your vehicle needs to be towed......................................................... 413
If you think something is wrong ......................................................... 417
If a warning light turns on or a warning buzzer sounds ........ 418
If a warning message is displayed ........................................................ 428
If you have a flat tire.................. 432
If the hybrid system will not start ........................................................ 444
If you lose your keys ................. 446
If the fuel filler door cannot be opened........................................ 446
If the electronic key does not operate properly .................... 447
If the 12-volt battery is discharged ........................................................ 449
If your vehicle overheats ........ 454
If the vehicle becomes stuck ........................................................ 457
Page 413 of 528

4137-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
7-2.Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs to be
towed
If towing is necessary, we recom-
mend having your vehicle towed by
your Lexus dealer or commercial
towing service, using a wheel-lift
type truck or flatbed truck.
Use a safety chain system for all
towing, and abide by all state/pro-
vincial and local laws.
If towing your vehicle with a
wheel-lift type truck, use a towing
dolly. ( P.414, 413)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.Fail-
ure to do so may result in death or seri-
ous injury.
■When towing the vehicle
Be sure to transport the vehicle with all
four wheels raised off the ground. If the
vehicle is towed with the tires contacting
the ground, the driv etrain or related
parts may be damaged, the vehicle may
fly off the truck, or electricity generated
by the operation of the motor may cause
a fire to occur depending on the nature
of the damage or malfunction.
■While towing
●When towing using cables or chains,
avoid sudden starts, etc. which place
excessive stress on the towing eyelets,
cables or chains. The towing eyelets,
cables or chains may become dam-
aged, broken debris may hit people,
and cause serious damage.
●Do not turn the power switch off.
There is a possibility that the steering
wheel is locked and cannot be oper-
ated.
■Installing towing eyelets to the vehi-
cle
Make sure that towing eyelets are
installed securely.If no t securely installed,
towing eyelets may come loose during
towing.
Page 414 of 528

4147-2. 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 hybrid system warning message
is shown on the multi-information
display and the vehicle 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.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the vehicle
when towing using a wheel-lift type
truck
●Do not tow the vehicle from the rear
when the power switch is off. The
steering lock mechanism is not strong
enough to hold the front wheels
straight.
●When raising the vehicle, ensure ade-
quate ground clearance for towing at
the opposite end of the raised vehicle.
Without adequate clearance, the vehi-
cle could be damaged while being
towed.
■To prevent damage to the vehicle
when towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck, either
from the front or rear.
■To prevent damage to the vehicle
during emergency towing
Do not secure cables or chains to the
suspension components.
■Recreational towing (behind motor
home, etc.)
Never dinghy tow your vehicle to pre-
vent causing serious damage to the
Hybrid AWD system and transmission.
( P.183)
Situations when it is necessary to
contact dealers before towing
Towing with a wheel-lift type
truck
Page 415 of 528

4157-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
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 power 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 short distances
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. 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.
1
Take out the towing eyelet.
(P.433)
2 Remove the eyelet cover.
Except F SPORT models
F SPORT models
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 (vehicles
with towing eyelets)
Emergency towing procedure
(vehicles with towing eyelets)
Page 416 of 528
4167-2. Steps to take in an emergency
3Insert the towing eyelet into the
hole and tighten partially by hand.
4 Tighten down the towing eyelet
securely using a wheel nut wrench
or hard metal bar.
5 Securely attach cables or chains to
the towing eyelet.
Take care not to damage the vehicle body.
6Enter the vehicle being towed and
start the hybrid system.
If the hybrid system does not start, turn the
power switch to ON.
7Shift the shift lever to N and release
the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. ( P.196)
When the shift lever cannot be shifted:
P.192
■While towing
If the hybrid system is off, 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 luggage
compartment. ( P.433)
Page 434 of 528
4347-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RX450hLJack handle
Wheel nut wrench
Spare tire
Jack
Towing eyelet
Adapter socket
A
B
C
D
E
F
WARNING
■Using the tire jack
Observe the following precautions.
Improper use of the tire jack may cause
the vehicle to suddenly fall off the jack,
leading to death or serious injury.
●Do not use the tire jack for any pur-
pose other than replacing tires or
installing and removing tire chains.
●Only use the tire jack that comes with
this vehicle for replacing a flat tire. Do
not use it on other vehicles, and do not
use other tire jacks for replacing tires
on this vehicle.
●Put the jack properly in its jack point.
●Do not put any part of your body under
the vehicle while it is supported by the
jack.
●Do not start the hybrid system or drive
the vehicle while the vehicle is sup-
ported by the jack.
Page 438 of 528

4387-2. Steps to take in an emergency
2Slightly loosen the wheel nuts (one
turn).
For vehicles with wheel lock nuts, loosen
the wheel lock nut first.
3Turn the tire jack portion by
hand until the notch of the jack is in
contact with the jack point.
The jack point guides are located under
the rocker panel. They indicate the jack
point positions.
4Raise the vehicle until the tire is
slightly raised off the ground.
5 Remove all the wheel nuts and the
tire.
When resting the tire on the ground, place
the tire so that the wheel design faces up to
avoid scratching the wheel surface.
■If the spare tire cannot be lowered
(RX450hL)
If the spare tire cannot be lowered, it may
not have been stowed properly. Perform the
following procedure:
1 Fully tighten the spare tire clamp bolt by
turning the jack handle clockwise until
two clicks are heard and the jack handle
skips.
Flat tireWheel chock posi-
tions
Front left-hand sideBehind the rear
right-hand side tire
Front right-hand
sideBehind the rear
left-hand side tire
Rear left-hand sideIn front of the front
right-hand side tire
Rear right-hand sideIn front of the front
left-hand side tire
A