321-1. For safe use
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
■When to contact your Lexus dealer
In the following cases, the vehicle will
require inspection and/or repair. Contact
your Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
●Any of the SRS airbags have been
inflated.
●The front of the vehicle is damaged or
deformed, or was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause the
SRS front airbags to inflate.
●A portion of a door or its surrounding
area is damaged or deformed, or the
vehicle was involved in an accident that
was not severe enough to cause the SRS
side and curtain shield airbags to inflate.
●The pad section of the steering wheel,
dashboard near the front passenger
airbag or lower portion of the instrument
panel is scratched, cracked, or otherwise
damaged.
●The surface of the seats with the SRS side
airbag is scratched , cracked, or other-
wise damaged.
●The portion of the fron t pillars, rear pillars
or roof side rail ga rnishes (padding) con-
taining the SRS curtain shield airbags
inside is scratched, cracked, or otherwise
damaged.
WARNING
■SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions
regarding the SRS airb ags. Failure to do
so may cause death or serious injury.
●The driver and all passengers in the
vehicle must wear their seat belts
properly.
The SRS airbags are supplemental
devices to be used with the seat belts.
341-1. For safe use
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
WARNING
●Do not sit on the edge of the seat or
lean against the dashboard.
●Do not allow a child to stand in front of
the SRS front passenger airbag unit or
sit on the knees of a front passenger.
●Do not allow the front seat occupants
to hold items on their knees.
●Do not lean against the door, the roof
side rail or the front, side and rear pil-
lars.
●Do not allow anyone to kneel on the
passenger seats toward the door or
put their head or hands outside the
vehicle.
●Do not attach anything to or lean any-
thing against areas such as the dash-
board, steering wheel pad and lower
portion of the instrument panel.
These items can become projectiles
when the SRS driver, front passenger
and knee airbags deploy.
●Do not attach anything to areas such
as a door, windshield , side windshield,
front or rear pillar, roof side rail and
assist grip.
●Do not hang coat hangers or hard
objects on the coat hooks. All of these
items could become projectiles and
may cause death or serious injury,
should the SRS curtain shield airbags
deploy.
351-1. For safe use
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
1
For safety and security
WARNING
●If a vinyl cover is put on the area where
the SRS knee airbag will deploy, be
sure to remove it.
●Do not use seat accessories which
cover the parts where the SRS side
airbags inflate as they may interfere
with inflation of the airbags. Such
accessories may prevent the side
airbags from activating correctly, dis-
able the system or cause the side
airbags to inflate accidentally, resulting
in death or serious injury.
●Do not strike or apply significant levels
of force to the area of the SRS airbag
components.
Doing so can cause the SRS airbags to
malfunction.
●Do not touch any of the component
parts immediately after the SRS
airbags have deployed (inflated) as
they may be hot.
●If breathing becomes difficult after the
SRS airbags have deployed, open a
door or window to allow fresh air in, or
leave the vehicle if it is safe to do so.
Wash off any residue as soon as possi-
ble to prevent skin irritation.
●If the areas where the SRS airbags are
stored, such as the steering wheel pad
and front and rear pillar garnishes, are
damaged or cracked, have them
replaced by your Lexus dealer.
●Do not place anything, such as a cush-
ion, on the front passenger’s seat.
Doing so will disperse the passenger’s
weight, which prevents the sensor
from detecting the passenger’s weight
properly. As a result, the SRS front
airbags for the front passenger may
not deploy in the event of a collision.
■Modification and disposal of SRS
airbag system components
Do not dispose of your vehicle or per-
form any of the following modifications
without consulting your Lexus dealer.
The SRS airbags may malfunction or
deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing
death or serious injury.
●Installation, remova l, disassembly and
repair of the SRS airbags
●Repairs, modifications, removal or
replacement of the steering wheel,
instrument panel, dashboard, seats or
seat upholstery, front, side and rear pil-
lars or roof side rails
●Repairs or modifications of the front
fender, front bumper, or side of the
occupant compartment
●Installation of a grille guard (bull bars,
kangaroo bar, etc. ), snow plows,
winches or roof luggage carrier
●Modifications to the vehicle’s suspen-
sion system
●Installation of elec tronic devices such
as mobile two-way radios and CD
players
●Modifications to your vehicle for a per-
son with a physical disability
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.
1234-1. Before driving
RC350/RC300 Owner's Manual
4
Driving
■Total load capacity and seating capacity
These details are also described on the tire
and loading information label. ( P.271)
WARNING
●To prevent cargo and luggage from
sliding forward during braking, do not
stack anything in the enlarged trunk.
Keep cargo and luggage low, as close
to the floor as possible.
●When you fold down the rear seats,
long items should not be placed
directly behind the front seats.
●Never allow anyone to ride in the
enlarged trunk. It is not designed for
passengers. They shou ld ride in their
seats with their seat belts properly fas-
tened.
●Do not place cargo or luggage in or on
the following locations.
• At the feet of the driver
• On the front passenger or rear seats (when stacking items)
• On the package tray
• On the instrument panel
•On the dashboard
• In front of the Center Display
●Secure all items in the occupant com-
partment.
■Capacity and distribution
●Do not exceed the maximum axle
weight rating or the total vehicle
weight rating.
●Even if the total load of occupant’s
weight and the cargo load is less than
the total load capacity, do not apply the
load unevenly. Improper loading may
cause deterioration of steering or
braking control which may cause
death or serious injury.
Vehicle load limits
Vehicle load limits include total
load capacity, seating capacity,
towing capacity and cargo capac-
ity.
Total load capacity (vehicle
capacity weight): P.326
Total load capacity means the com-
bined weight of occupants, cargo
and luggage.
Seating capacity: P.326
Seating capacity means the maxi-
mum number of occupants whose
estimated average weight is 150 lb.
(68 kg) per person.
Towing capacity
Lexus does not recommend towing
a trailer with your vehicle.
Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or
decrease depending on the weight
and the number of occupants.
WARNING
■Overloading the vehicle
Do not overload the vehicle.
It may not only cause damage to the tires,
but also degrade steering and braking
ability, resulting in an accident.