
1524-1. Before driving
WARNING
●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.384
●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.174)
●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.
●AWD models: Do not drive the vehicle
off-road.
This is not an AWD vehicle designed
for off-road driving. Proceed with all
due caution if it becomes unavoidable
to drive off-road.
●Do not drive across a river or through
other bodies of water.
This may cause electric/electronic
components to short circuit, damage
the engine or cause other serious
damage to 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 R while
the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission
and may result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol.

1604-1. Before driving
for a more safe trailer hookup, the trailer
ball setup must be the proper height for the
coupler on the trailer.
Coupler
Trailer ball
■Before towing
Check that the following conditions are
met:
●Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are prop-
erly inflated. ( P.436)
●Trailer tires are inflated according to the
trailer manufacturer’s recommendation.
●All trailer lights work as required by law.
●All lights work each time you connect
them.
●The trailer ball is set at the proper height
for the coupler on the trailer.
●The trailer is level when it is hitched.
Do not drive if the trailer is not level, and
check for improper tongue weight, over-
loading, worn suspension, or other possi-
ble causes.
●The trailer cargo is securely loaded.
●The rear view mirrors conform to all
applicable federal, state/provincial or local regulations. If
they do not, install
rear view mirrors appropriate for towing
purposes.
■Adaptive Variable Suspension System
(if equipped)
The suspension can be switched for
improvement in driveability. ( P.266)
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped with any
new power train components (such as an
engine, transaxle, transfer [AWD models],
rear differential [AWD models] or wheel
bearing), Lexus recommends that you do
not tow a trailer until the vehicle has been
driven for over 500 miles (800 km).
After the vehicle has been driven for over
500 miles (800 km), you can start towing.
However, for the next 500 miles (800 km),
drive the vehicle at a speed of less than 50
mph (80 km/h) when towing a trailer, and
avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will
require more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. (See “Warranty
and Services Guide”, “Owner’s Manual
Supplement” or “Scheduled Mainte-
nance”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately 600
miles (1000 km) of trailer towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds, passing
vehicles, rough roads, etc.) can adversely
affect handling of your vehicle and trailer,
causing instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer swaying by
turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing th e accelerator pedal
immediately but very gradually to reduce
speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not apply
vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction with the
steering or brakes, your vehicle and trailer
should stabilize. (if enabled, Trailer Sway
A
B

2004-5. Using the driving support systems
WARNING
●If the part of the windshield in front of
the front camera is fogged up or cov-
ered with condensation, or ice, use the
windshield defogger to remove the
fog, condensation, or ice. (P.284)
●If water droplets cannot be properly
removed from the area of the wind-
shield in front of the front camera by
the windshield wipers, replace the
wiper insert or wiper blade.
●Do not attach window tint to the wind-
shield.
●Replace the windshield if it is damaged
or cracked.
After replacing the windshield, the
front camera must be recalibrated.
Contact your Lexus dealer for details.
●Do not allow liquids to contact the
front camera.
●Do not allow bright lights to shine into
the front camera.
●Do not dirty or damage the front cam-
era.
When cleaning the inside of the wind-
shield, do not allow glass cleaner to
contact the lens of the front camera.
Also, do not touch the lens.
If the lens is dirty or damaged, contact
your Lexus dealer.
●Do not subject the front camera to a
strong impact.
●Do not change the installation position
or direction of the front camera or
remove it.
●Do not disassemble the front camera.
●Do not modify any components of the
vehicle around the front camera
(inside rear view mirror, etc.) or ceiling.
●Do not attach any accessories to the
hood, front grille or front bumper that
may obstruct the front camera. Con-
tact your Lexus dealer for details.
●If a surfboard or other long object is to
be mounted on the roof, make sure
that it will not obstruct the front cam-
era.
●Do not modify the headlights or other
lights.

2324-5. Using the driving support systems
*:If equipped
Meter control switches
Turning the Blind Spot Monitor on/off.
Outside rear view mirror indicators
When a vehicle is detected in a blind spot
of the outside rear view mirrors or
approaching rapidly from behind into a
blind spot, the outside rear view mirror
indicator on the detected side will illumi-
nate. If the turn signal lever is operated
toward the detected side, the outside rear
view mirror indicator flashes.
BSM indicator
Illuminates when the Blind Spot Monitor is
enabled
■Outside rear view mirror indicator visi-
bility
In strong sunlight, the outside rear view mir-
ror indicator may be difficult to see.
■When “Blind Spot Monitor Unavailable”
is shown on the multi-information dis-
play
Ice, snow, mud, etc., may be attached to the
rear bumper around the sensors. ( P.232)
The system should return to normal opera-
tion after removing the ice, snow, mud, etc.
from the rear bumper. Additionally, the sen-
sors may not operate normally when driving
in extremely hot or cold environments.
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
( P.449)
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor)*
The Blind Spot Monitor is a system
that uses rear side radar sensors
installed on the in ner side of the
rear bumper on the left and right
side to assist the driver in confirm-
ing safety when changing lanes.
WARNING
■Cautions regarding the use of the sys-
tem
The driver is solely responsible for safe
driving. Always drive safely, taking care
to observe your surroundings.
The Blind Spot Monitor is a supplemen-
tary function which alerts the driver that a
vehicle is in a blind spot of the outside
rear view mirrors or is approaching rap-
idly from behind into a blind spot. Do not
overly rely on the Blind Spot Monitor. As
the function cannot judge if it is safe to
change lanes, over reliance could lead to
an accident resulting in death or serious
injury.
As the system may not function correctly
under certain conditions, the driver’s own
visual confirmation of safety is necessary.
System components
A
WARNING
■To ensure the system can operate
properly
Blind Spot Monitor sensors are installed
behind the left and right sides of the rear
bumper respectively. Observe the fol-
lowing to ensure the Blind Spot Monitor
can operate correctly.
B
C

2344-5. Using the driving support systems
■Vehicles that can be detected by the Blind Spot Monitor
The Blind Spot Monitor uses rear side ra dar sensors to detect the following vehi-
cles traveling in adjacent lanes and advises the driver of the presence of such vehi-
cles via the indicators on the outside rear view mirrors.
Vehicles that are traveling in areas that are not visible using the outside rear
view mirrors (the blind spots)
Vehicles that are approaching rapidly from behind in areas that are not visible
using the outside rear view mirrors (the blind spots)
■The Blind Spot Monitor detection areas
The areas that vehicles can be detected in are outlined below.
The range of each detection area is:
Approximately 1.6 ft. (0.5 m) to 11.5 ft. (3.5 m) from either side of the vehicle*1
Approximately 3.3 ft. (1 m) forward of the rear bumper
Approximately 9.8 ft. (3 m) from the rear bumper
Approximately 9.8 ft. (3 m) to 197 ft. (60 m) from the rear bumper
*2
*1: The area between the side of the vehicle and 1.6 ft. (0.5 m) from the side of the vehicle
cannot be detected.
*2: The greater the difference in speed between your vehicle and the detected vehicle is,
Blind Spot Monitor operation
A
B
A
B
C
D

2354-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
the farther away the vehicle will be detected, causing the outside rear view mirror indi-
cator to illuminate or flash.
■The Blind Spot Monitor is operational
when
The Blind Spot Monitor is operational when
all of the following conditions are met:
●The Blind Spot Monitor is on.
●The shift lever is in a position other than R.
●The vehicle speed is greater than approx-
imately 10 mph (16 km/h).
■The Blind Spot Monitor will detect a
vehicle when
The Blind Spot Monitor will detect a vehicle
present in the detection area in the follow-
ing situations:
●A vehicle in an adj acent lane overtakes
your vehicle.
●You overtake a vehicle in an adjacent lane
slowly.
●Another vehicle enters the detection
area when it changes lanes.
■Conditions under which the system will
not detect a vehicle
The Blind Spot Monitor is not designed to
detect the following types of vehicles and/or
objects:
●Small motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians,
etc.*
●Vehicles traveling in the opposite direc-
tion
●Guardrails, walls, signs, parked vehicles
and similar stationary objects*
●Following vehicles th at are in the same
lane*
●Vehicles traveling 2 lanes away from your
vehicle*
●Vehicles which are being overtaken rap-
idly by your vehicle*
*
: Depending on the conditions, detection of a vehicle and/or object may occur.
■Conditions under which the system may
not function correctly
●The Blind Spot Monitor may not detect
vehicles correctly in the following situa-
tions:
• When the sensor is misaligned due to a
strong impact to the sensor or its sur-
rounding area
• When mud, snow, ice, a sticker, etc. is
covering the sensor or surrounding area
on the rear bumper
• When driving on a road surface that is
wet with standing water during bad
weather, such as heavy rain, snow, or fog
• When multiple vehicles are approaching
with only a small gap between each vehi-
cle
• When the distance between your vehicle
and a following vehicle is short
• When there is a significant difference in speed between your vehicle and the vehi-
cle that enters the detection area
• When the difference in speed between your vehicle and another vehicle is
changing
• When a vehicle enters a detection area traveling at about the same speed as your
vehicle
• As your vehicle starts from a stop, a vehi- cle remains in the detection area
• When driving up and down consecutive steep inclines, such as hills, dips in the
road, etc.
• When driving on roads with sharp bends, consecutive curves, or uneven surfaces
• When vehicle lanes are wide, or when
driving on the edge of a lane, and the
vehicle in an adjacent lane is far away
from your vehicle
• When an accessory (such as a bicycle carrier) is installed to the rear of the vehi-
cle
• When there is a significant difference in height between your vehicle and the
vehicle that enters the detection area
• Immediately after the Blind Spot Monitor
is turned on
●Instances of the Blind Spot Monitor
unnecessarily detecting a vehicle and/or
object may increase in the following situ-

2454-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
*:If equipped
Meter control switches
Turning the RCTA function on/off.
When the RCTA function is disabled, the
RCTA OFF indicator illuminates.
Outside rear view mirror indicators
When a vehicle approaching from the right
or left at the rear of the vehicle is detected,
both outside rear view mirror indicators
will flash.
Center Display
If a vehicle approaching from the right or
left at the rear of the vehicle is detected,
the RCTA icon ( P.247) for the detected
side will be displaye d on the Center Dis-
play. This illustration shows an example of a
vehicle approaching from both sides of the
vehicle.
RCTA buzzer
If a vehicle approaching from the right or
left at the rear of the vehicle is detected, a
buzzer will sound.
RCTA (Rear cross traffic
alert) function
*
The RCTA function uses the BSM
rear side radar sensors installed
behind the rear bumper. This func-
tion is intended to assist the driver
in checking areas that are not easily
visible when backing up.
WARNING
■Cautions regarding the use of the
function
There is a limit to the degree of recogni-
tion accuracy and control performance
that this system can provide, do not
overly rely on this system. The driver is
always responsible for paying attention
to the vehicle’s surro undings and driving
safely. ( P.232)
■To ensure the system can operate
properly
P.232
System components
A
B
C
D

2464-5. Using the driving support systems
Use the meter control switches to
enable/disable the RCTA function.
( P.80)
Vehicles without the Intuitive park-
ing assist
1 Press or to select .
2 Press or to select “RCTA”
and then press .
When the RCTA function is disabled, the
RCTA OFF indicator ( P.70) illuminates
on the multi-information display. (Each
time the engine switch is turned off then
changed to IGNITION ON mode, the
RCTA function will be enabled automati-
cally.)
Vehicles with the Intuitive parking
assist
1 Press or to select .
2 Press or to select “PKSA”
and then press .
3 Press or to select “RCTA”
and then press .
When the RCTA function is disabled, the RCTA OFF indicator (
P.70) illuminates
on the multi-informat ion display. (Each
time the engine switch is turned off then
changed to IGNITION ON mode, the
RCTA function will be enabled automati-
cally.)
■Outside rear view mirror indicator visi-
bility
In strong sunlight, the outside rear view mir-
ror indicator may be difficult to see.
■Hearing the RCTA buzzer
The RCTA buzzer may be difficult to hear
over loud noises, such as if the audio system
volume is high.
■When “Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Unavailable” is shown on the
multi-information display
W a t e r , i c e , s n o w , m u d , etc., may be attached
to the rear bumper around the sensors.
( P.233) Removing the water, ice, snow,
mud, etc., from the attached to the rear
bumper around the se nsors to return the
function to normal.
Additionally, the func tion may not operate
normally when driving in extremely hot or
cold environments.
■Rear side radar sensors
P.233
■Operation of the RCTA function
The RCTA function uses rear side radar sensors to detect vehicles approaching
from the right or left at the rear of the ve hicle and alerts the driver of the presence
of such vehicles by flashing the outside rear view mirror indicators and sounding a
buzzer.
Turning the RCTA function
on/off
NOTICE
■Before using the RCTA function
Do not place objects near the sensors.
RCTA function