2616-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
6
Maintenance and care
■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.
■After recharging/reconnecting the bat-
tery
The engine may not start. Follow the proce-
dure below to initialize the system.
1 Shift the shift lever to P.
2 Open and close either door.
3 Restart the engine.
●Unlocking the doors using the smart
access system with push-button start may
not be possible immediately after recon-
necting the battery. If this happens, use
the wireless remote control or the
mechanical key to lo ck/unlock the doors.
●Start the engine with the engine switch in
ACCESSORY mode. The engine may
not start with the engine switch turned off.
However, the engine will operate nor-
mally from the second attempt.
●The engine switch mode is recorded by
the vehicle. If the battery is disconnected
and reconnected, the vehicle will return
the engine switch mode to the status it
was in before the battery was discon-
nected. Make sure to turn off the engine
before disconnecting the battery. Take
extra care when connecting the battery if
the engine switch mode prior to the bat-
tery being disconnected is unknown.
If the system will not start even after multi-
ple attempts, contact your Lexus dealer.
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
2847-1. Essential information
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
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 operating,
the battery may discharge.
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
2937-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
7
When trouble arises
■Brake system warning light
■Brake system warning light
■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.320)
2957-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
7
When trouble arises
■ABS warning light
■Brake Override System warning light/Drive-Start Control warning light*
(warning buzzer)
*: This light illuminates on th e multi-information display.
■Electric power steering system warning light (warning buzzer)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(U.S.A.)
or
(Canada)
Indicates a malfunction in:
The ABS; or
The brake assist system
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
When a buzzer sounds:
Brake Override System is malfunctioning;
Drive-Start Control is operating; or
Drive-Start Control is malfunctioning
Follow the instructions displayed on the multi-information display.
When a buzzer does not sound:
Brake Override System is operating
Release the accelerator pedal and depress the brake pedal.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates a malfunction in the EPS (Electric Power Steering) system
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
2987-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
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 be lt 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.
■Master warning light (warning buzzer)
■Tire pressure warning light
■Parking brake indicator (warning buzzer)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
A buzzer sounds and the warning light comes on and flashes to indicate
that the master warning system has detected a malfunction.
P.301
Warning lightDetails/Actions
When the light comes on:
Low tire inflation pressure such as
Natural causes ( P.299)
Flat tire ( P.305)
Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified level. The light will
turn off after a few minutes. In case the light does not turn off even if
the tire inflation pressure is adjusted, have the system checked by
your Lexus dealer.
When the light comes on after blinking for 1 minute:
Malfunction in the tire pressure warning system
Have the system checked by your Lexus dealer.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(flashes)
(U.S.A.)
or
(flashes)
(Canada)
It is possible that the parking brake is not fully engaged or released
Operate the parking brake switch once again.
This light comes on when the parking brake is not released. If the light
turns off after the parking brake is fu lly released, the system is operating
normally.
2997-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
7
When trouble arises
■Brake hold operated indicator (warning buzzer)
■SRS warning light
This warning light sy stem monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front impact sen-
sors, side impact sensors (door), side
impact sensors (front), side impact sensors
(rear), driver’s seat position sensor, driver’s
seat belt buckle switch, front passenger
occupant classification system, “AIR BAG
ON” indicator light, “AIR BAG OFF” indi-
cator light, front passe nger’s seat belt
buckle switch, seat belt pretensioners,
airbags, interconnect ing wiring and power
sources. ( P.29)
■Front passenger detection sensor, seat
belt reminder and warning buzzer
●If luggage is placed on the front passen-
ger seat, the front passenger detection
sensor may cause the warning light to
flash and the warning buzzer to sound
even if a passenger is not sitting in the
seat.
●If a cushion is placed on the seat, the sen-
sor may not detect a passenger, and the
warning light may not operate properly.
■If the malfunction indicator lamp comes
on while driving
First check the following:
●Is the fuel tank empty?
If it is, fill the fuel tank immediately.
●Is the fuel tank cap loose?
If it is, tighten it securely.
The light will go off after several driving
trips.
If the light does not go off even after several
trips, contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible.
■Electric power steering system warning
light (warning buzzer)
When the battery charge becomes insuffi- cient or the voltage temporarily drops, the
electric power steering system warning
light may come on and the warning buzzer
may sound.
■When the tire pressure warning light
comes on
Check the tire inflation pressure and adjust
to the appropriate leve l. Pushing the tire
pressure warning reset switch will not turn
off the tire pressure warning light.
■The tire pressure warning light may
come on due to natural causes
The tire pressure warning light may come
on due to natural causes such as natural air
leaks and tire inflation pressure changes
caused by temperature. In this case, adjust-
ing the tire inflation pressure will turn off the
warning light (after a few minutes).
■When a tire is replaced with the spare
tire
The spare tire is not equipped with a tire
pressure warning valve and transmitter. If a
tire goes flat, the tire pressure warning light
will not turn off even th ough the flat tire has
been replaced with the spare tire.
■Conditions that the tire pressure warn-
ing system may not function properly
P.266
■If the tire pressure warning light fre-
quently comes on after blinking for 1
minute
If the tire pressure warning light frequently
comes on after blinking for 1 minute when
the engine switch is turned to IGNITION
ON mode, have it checked by your Lexus
dealer.
■Warning buzzer
In some cases, the buzzer may not be heard
due to being in a noisy location or audio
sound.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(flashes)
Indicates a malfunction in the brake hold system
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
3007-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
WARNING
■If both the ABS and the brake system
warning lights remain on
Stop your vehicle in a safe place immedi-
ately and contact your Lexus dealer. The
vehicle will become extremely unstable
during braking, and the ABS system may
fail, which could cause an accident
resulting in death or serious injury.
■When the electric power steering
system warning light comes on
The steering wheel may become
extremely heavy.
When steering wheel operations are
heavier than usual, grip the steering
wheel firmly and operate it using more
force than usual.
■If the tire pressure warning light
comes on
Be sure to observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so could cause a loss
of vehicle control and result in death or
serious injury.
●Stop your vehicle in a safe place as
soon as possible. Adjust the tire infla-
tion pressure immediately.
●If the tire pressure warning light comes
on even after tire inflation pressure
adjustment, it is probable that you have
a flat tire. Check the tires. If a tire is flat,
change it with the spare tire and have
the flat tire repaired by the nearest
Lexus dealer.
●Avoid abrupt maneuvering and brak-
ing. If the vehicle tires deteriorate, you
could lose control of the steering
wheel or the brakes.
■If a blowout or sudden air leakage
should occur
The tire pressure warning system may
not activate immediately.
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthly when
cold and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by th e vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle pl acard or tire infla-
tion pressure label (tire and load
information label). (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indi-
cated on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure labe l [tire and load
information label], yo u should determine
the proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.)
As an added safety fe ature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS-tire pressure
warning system) that illuminates a low
tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warn-
ing light) when one or more of your tires
is significantly under-inflated. Accord-
ingly, when the low ti re pressure telltale
(tire pressure warnin g light) illuminates,
you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire
to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel effi-
ciency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping abil-
ity.
Please note that the TPMS (tire pressure
warning system) is not a substitute for
proper tire maintena nce, and it is the
driver’s responsibility to maintain correct
tire pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger illumina-
tion of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale
(tire pressure warning light).
3097-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
7
When trouble arises
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.
1Remove any dirt or foreign matter
from the wheel contact surface.
If foreign matter is on the wheel contact
surface, the wheel nuts may loosen while
the vehicle is in motion, causing the tire to
WARNING
■Replacing a flat tire
●Do not touch the disc wheels or the
area around the brakes immediately
after the vehicle has been driven.
After the vehicle has been driven the
disc wheels and the area around the
brakes will be extremely hot. Touching
these areas with hands, feet or other
body parts while changing a tire, etc.
may result in burns.
●Failure to follow these precautions
could cause the wheel nuts to loosen
and the tire to fall of f, resulting in death
or serious injury.
• Never use oil or grease on the wheel bolts or wheel nuts.Oil and grease may
cause the wheel nuts to be excessively
tightened, leading to bolt or disc wheel
damage. In addition, the oil or grease
can cause the wheel nuts to loosen and
the wheel may fall off, causing a serious
accident. Remove any oil or grease
from the wheel bolts or wheel nuts.
• Have the wheel nuts tightened with a torque wrench to 76 ft•lbf (103 N•m,
10.5 kgf•m) as soon as possible after
changing wheels.
• Do not attach a heavily damaged wheel ornament, as it may fly off the
wheel while the vehicle is moving.
• When installing a tire, only use wheel nuts that have been specifically
designed for that wheel.
• If there are any cracks or deformations in the bolt screws, nut threads or bolt
holes of the wheel, have the vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer.
Installing the spare tire