1184-1. Before driving
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
WARNING
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle
only slightly. This allows you to depress
the brake and accelerator pedals
properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal
using your left foot may delay
response in an emergency, resulting in
an accident.
●Do not drive the vehicle over or stop
the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases
can be extremely hot. These hot parts
may cause a fire if there is any flamma-
ble material nearby.
●During normal driving, do not turn off
the engine. Turning the engine off
while driving will not cause loss of
steering or braking control, but the
power assist to these systems will be
lost. This will make it more difficult to
steer and brake, so you should pull
over and stop the vehicle as soon as it
is safe to do so.
However, in the event of an emer-
gency, such as if it becomes impossible
to stop the vehicle in the normal way:
P.284
●Use engine braking (downshift) to
maintain a safe speed when driving
down a steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously may
cause the brakes to overheat and lose
effectiveness. (
P.129)
●Do not adjust the positions of the
steering wheel, the seat, or the inside
or outside rear view mirrors while driv-
ing.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle
control.
●Always check that all passengers’
arms, heads or other parts of their
body are not outside the vehicle.
●Do not drive in excess of the speed
limit. Even if the legal speed limit per-
mits it, do not drive over 85 mph (140
km/h) unless your vehicle has
high-speed capability tires. Driving
over 85 mph (140 km /h) may result in
tire failure, loss of control and possible
injury. Be sure to consult a tire dealer
to determine whether the tires on your
vehicle are high-speed capability tires
or not before drivin g at such speeds.
■When driving on slippery road sur-
faces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and
steering may cause tire slippage and
reduce your ability to control the vehi-
cle.
●Sudden acceleration, engine braking
due to shifting, or changes in engine
speed could cause the vehicle to skid.
●After driving through a puddle, lightly
depress the brake pedal to make sure
that the brakes are functioning prop-
erly. Wet brake pads may prevent the
brakes from functioning properly. If the
brakes on only one side are wet and
not functioning properly, steering con-
trol may be affected.
■When shifting the shift lever
●Do not let the vehicle roll backward
while the shift lever is in a driving posi-
tion, or roll forward while the shift lever
is in R.
Doing so may cause the engine to stall
or lead to poor brake and steering
performance, resulting in an accident
or damage to the vehicle.
●Do not shift the shift lever to P while
the vehicle is moving.
Doing so can damage the transmission
and may result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol.
●Do not shift the shift lever to a driving
position while the vehicle is moving
backward.
Doing so can damage the transmission
and may result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol.
1194-1. Before driving
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
4
Driving
WARNING
●Do not shift the shift lever to R while
the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission
and may result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol.
●Moving the shift lever to N while the
vehicle is moving will disengage the
engine from the transmission. Engine
braking is not available when N is
selected.
●Be careful not to shift the shift lever
with the accelerator pedal depressed.
Shifting the shift lever to a gear other
than P or N may lead to unexpected
rapid acceleration of the vehicle that
may cause an accident and result in
death or serious injury.
■If you hear a squealing or scraping
noise (brake pad wear limit indica-
tors)
Have the brake pads checked and
replaced by your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible. Rotor damage may result if the
pads are not replaced when needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when
the wear limits of the brake pads and/or
those of the brake discs are exceeded.
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not race the engine.
If the vehicle is in any gear other than P
or N, the vehicle may accelerate sud-
denly and unexpectedly, causing an
accident.
●In order to prevent accidents due to
the vehicle rolling away, always keep
depressing the brake pedal while the
engine is running, and apply the park-
ing brake as necessary.
●If the vehicle is sto pped on an incline,
in order to prevent accidents caused
by the vehicle rolling forward or back-
ward, always depress the brake pedal
and securely apply the parking brake
as needed.
●Avoid revving or racing the engine.
Running the engine at high speed
while the vehicle is stopped may cause
the exhaust system to overheat, which
could result in a fire if combustible
material is nearby.
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters,
spray cans, or soft drink cans in the
vehicle when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and ma y lead to a fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plas-
tic material of glasses to deform or
crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior
of the vehicle, and may also cause a
short circuit in the vehicle’s electrical
components.
●Do not leave cigarette lighters in the
vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a
place such as the glove box or on the
floor, it may be li t accidentally when
luggage is loaded or the seat is
adjusted, causing a fire.
●Do not attach adhesive discs to the
windshield or windows. Do not place
containers such as air fresheners on
the instrument panel or dashboard.
Adhesive discs or containers may act
as lenses, causing a fire in the vehicle.
●Do not leave a door or window open if
the curved glass is coated with a
metallized film such as a silver-colored
one. Reflected sunlight may cause the
glass to act as a lens, causing a fire.
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
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