2024-5. Using the driving support systems
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
WARNING
■Hill-start assist control does not oper-
ate effectively when
●Do not overly rely on hill-start assist
control. Hill-start assist control may
not operate effectively on steep
inclines and roads covered with ice.
●Unlike the parking brake, hill-start
assist control is not intended to hold
the vehicle stationary for an extended
period of time. Do not attempt to use
hill-start assist control to hold the vehi-
cle on an incline, as doing so may lead
to an accident.
■When the TRAC/VSC is activated
The slip indicator light flashes. Always
drive carefully. Re ckless driving may
cause an accident. Exercise particular
care when the indicator light flashes.
■When the TRAC/VSC systems are
turned off
Be especially careful and drive at a speed
appropriate to the road conditions. As
these are the systems to help ensure
vehicle stability and driving force, do not
turn the TRAC/VSC systems off unless
necessary.
■Replacing tires
Make sure that all ti res are of the speci-
fied size, brand, tread pattern and total
load capacity. In addition, make sure that
the tires are inflated to the recom-
mended tire inflation pressure level.
The ABS, TRAC and VSC systems will
not function correctly if different tires are
installed on the vehicle.
Contact your Lexus dealer for further
information when replacing tires or
wheels.
■Handling of tires and the suspension
Using tires with any kind of problem or
modifying the suspension will affect the
driving assist systems, and may cause a
system to malfunction.
2044-6. Driving tips
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
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.
Park the vehicle and move the shift
lever to P without setting the park-
ing brake. The parking brake may
freeze up, preventing it from being
released. If the vehicle is parked
without setting the parking brake,
make sure to block the wheels.
Failure to do so may be dangerous
because it may cause the vehicle to
move unexpectedly, possibly lead-
ing to an accident.
When the parking brake is in automatic mode, release the parking brake after shift-
ing the shift lever to P. (
P.135)
If the vehicle is parked without set-
ting the parking brake, confirm that
the shift lever cannot be moved out
of P
*.
*: The shift lever will be locked if it is
attempted to be shifted from P to any
other position with out depressing the
brake pedal. If the shift lever can be
shifted from P, ther e may be a problem
with the shift lock sy stem. Have the vehi-
cle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately.
Vehicles with front and rear tires of
the same size except for vehicles
with LDH and 19-inch tires
Use the correct tire chain size when
mounting the tire chains.
Chain size is regulated for each tire
size.
Side chain (0.12 in. [3 mm] in diam-
eter)
Cross chain (0.16 in. [4 mm] in
diameter)
When driving the vehicle
When parking the vehicle
Selecting tire chains
A
B
2416-1. Maintenance and care
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
6
Maintenance and care
ately after use.
●To protect the paint from damage, make
sure to observe the following precau-
tions.
• Do not use acidic, al kaline or abrasive
detergent
• Do not use hard brushes
• Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, such as after driving or park-
ing in hot weather
■Brake caliper coating (F SPORT mod-
els)
●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
(if equipped)
●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 insufficient, 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.145)
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
2486-2. Maintenance
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
Radiator, con-
denser and inter-
cooler radiator
The radiator, con-
denser and inter-
cooler radiator should
be free from foreign
objects. (P.260)
Washer fluid
Is there sufficient
washer fluid?
(P.262)
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.
Head restraints
•Do the head restraints move
smoothly and lock
securely?
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
2897-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
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 nut wrench,
flathead screwdriver and towing
eyelet. ( P.305)
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.
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
Emergency towing procedure
2907-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
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 vehi-
cle body.
6 Enter the vehicle being towed and
start the engine.
If the engine does not start, turn the
engine switch to ON. 7
Shift the shift lever to N and release
the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. (P.136)
When the shift lever cannot be shifted:
P.130
■While towing
If the engine is not running, the power assist
for the brakes and steer ing will not function,
making steering and braking more difficult.
■Wheel nut wrench
Wheel nut wrench is installed in trunk.
( P.305)
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)
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.