Page 291 of 440
2896-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
IS500Fuse boxes ( P.310)
Battery ( P.294)
Engine oil level dipstick ( P.289)
Engine coolant reservoir ( P.292)
Engine oil filler cap ( P.290)
Brake fluid reservoir ( P.294)
Washer fluid tank ( P.296)
Electric cooling fans
Condenser ( P.293)
Radiator ( P.293)
With the engine at operating tempera-
ture and turned off, check the oil level
on the dipstick.
■Checking the engine oil
1 Park the vehicle on level ground.
After warming up the engine and
turning it off, wait more than 5 min-
utes for the oil to drain back into the
bottom of the engine.
2 Holding a rag under the end, pull
the dipstick out.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Checking and adding the engine
oil
Page 296 of 440

2946-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■Checking fluid level
The brake fluid level should be
between the “MAX” and “MIN” lines
on the tank.
■Adding fluid
Make sure to check the fluid type and
prepare the necessary item.
Fluid type
SAE J1703 or FMVSS No.116 DOT 3
brake fluid
Item
Clean funnel
■Brake fluid can absorb moisture from
the air
Excess moisture in the brake fluid can cause
a dangerous loss of br aking efficiency. Use
only newly opened brake fluid.
Check the battery as follows.
■Battery exterior
Make sure that the battery terminals
are not corroded and that there are no
loose connections, cracks, or loose
clamps.
Terminals
Hold-down clamp
■Before recharging
When recharging, the battery produces
hydrogen gas which is flammable and
explosive. Therefore, observe the following
before recharging:
●If recharging with th e battery installed on
the vehicle, be sure to disconnect the
ground cable.
●Make sure the power switch on the char-
ger is off when connecting and discon-
necting the charger cables to the battery.
Checking and adding the brake
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.
Battery
A
B
Page 322 of 440

3207-1. Essential information
7-1.Essential information
Press the switch to flash all of the turn
signal lights.
To turn them off, press the switch once
again.
■Emergency flashers
●If the emergency flashers are used for a
long time while the engine is not operat-
ing, the battery may discharge.
●If any of the SRS airbags deploy (inflate)
or in the event of a strong rear impact, the
emergency flashers will turn on automati-
cally.
The emergency flashers will turn off auto-
matically after operating for approxi-
mately 20 minutes. To manually turn the
emergency flashers off, press the switch
twice.
(The emergency flashers may not turn on
automatically depending on the force of
the impact and conditions of the colli-
sion.)
1 Steadily step on the brake pedal
with both feet and firmly depress it.
Do not pump the brake pedal repeatedly
as this will increase the effort required to
slow the vehicle.
2Shift the shift lever to N.
If the shift lever is shifted to N
3 After slowing down, stop the vehi-
cle in a safe place by the road.
4 Stop the engine.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted to
N
3 Keep depressing the brake pedal
with both feet to reduce vehicle
speed as much as possible.
4 To stop the engine, press and hold
the engine switch for 2 consecutive
Emergency flashers
The emergency flashers are used to
warn other drivers when the vehicle
has to be stopped on the road due
to a breakdown, etc.
Operating instructions
If your vehicle has to be
stopped in an emergency
Only in an emergency, such as if it
becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way, stop the
vehicle using the following proce-
dure:
Stopping the vehicle
Page 323 of 440

3217-1. 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.
If the door can be opened, open the
door and exit the vehicle.
If the door cannot be opened, open
the window using the power window
switch and ensure an escape route.
If the window can be opened, exit
the vehicle through the window.
If the door and window cannot be
opened due to the rising water,
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 after waiting for the
rising water to enter the vehicle, and
exit the vehicle. When the outside
water level exceeds half the height
of the door, the door cannot be
opened from the inside due to water
pressure.
■Water level exceeds the floor
When the water level exceeds the floor and
time has passed, the electrical equipment
will get damaged, the power windows will
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 submerged
or water on the road is rising
This vehicle is no t designed to be
able to drive on roads that are
deeply flooded with water. Do not
drive on roads where the roads may
be submerged or the water may be
rising. It is dangerous to remain in
the vehicle, if it anticipated that the
vehicle will be flooded or set a drift.
Remain calm and follow the follow-
ing.
Page 327 of 440

3257-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
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 transportati on, 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.
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 wheel bolt wrench,
flathead screwdriver and towing
eyelet. ( P.341)
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.
NOTICE
■Towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck to pre-
vent body damage.
Using a flatbed truck
NOTICE
■Using a flatbed truck
Do not overly tighten the tie downs or the
vehicle may be damaged.
Emergency towing
Emergency towing procedure
Page 328 of 440
3267-2. 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 bolt 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 engine.
If the engine does not start, turn the engine
switch to IGNITION ON mode.
7Shift the shift lever to N and release
the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. ( P.140)
When the shift lever cannot be shifted:
P.135
■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 bolt wrench
Wheel bolt wrench is installed in the trunk.
( P.341)
Page 329 of 440
3277-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
Fluid leaks under the vehicle.
(Water dripping from the air condi-
tioning after use is normal.)
Flat-looking tires or uneven tire
wear
Engine coolant temperature gauge
needle continually points higher
than normal.
Changes in exhaust sound
Excessive tire squeal when corner-
ing
Strange noises related to the sus-
pension system
Pinging or other noises related to
the engine
Engine missing, stumbling or run-
ning roughly
Appreciable loss of power
Vehicle pulls heavily to one side
when braking
Vehicle pulls heavily to one side
when driving on a level road
Loss of brake effectiveness, spongy
feeling, pedal almost touches the
floor
If you think something is
wrong
If you notice any of the following
symptoms, your vehicle probably
needs adjustment or repair. Con-
tact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible.
Visible symptoms
Audible symptoms
Operational symptoms
Page 331 of 440

3297-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
■Brake system warning light (warning buzzer)
■Brake system warning light (warning buzzer)
■High coolant temperature 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 followin g 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.)
or
(red)
(Canada)
Indicates that:
The brake fluid level is low; or
The brake system is malfunctioning
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact your Lexus
dealer. Continuing to drive the vehicle may be dangerous.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(yellow)
Indicates a malfunction in the parking brake system
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates that the engine coolant temperature is too high
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place.
Handling method ( P.357)