
3596-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steering wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the cor-
rect amount of free
play?
•There should not be any strange sounds
coming from the
steering wheel.
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors oper-ate smoothly?
Engine hood
•Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks
•There should not be any signs of fluid
leakage after the
vehicle has been
parked.
ItemsCheck points
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or
excessively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to
the maintenance
schedule?
•The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wip-
ers/rear window
wiper
• The wiper blades should not show any
signs of cracking,
splitting, wear, con-
tamination or defor-
mation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield/rear win-
dow without streak-
ing or skipping.
ItemsCheck points

3716-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
2Remove the cover after removing
the clips.
1 Press
2 Pull out
RX450hL
1 Remove the deck board and side
auxiliary box cover. ( P.327)
2 Remove the 12-volt battery cover.
3 Remove the deck side trim cover.
■Before recharging
When recharging, the 12-volt battery pro-
duces hydrogen gas which is flammable
and explosive. Therefore, observe the fol- lowing precautions before recharging:
●If recharging with the 12-volt battery
installed on the vehicle, be sure to discon-
nect the ground cable.
●Make sure the power switch on the char-
ger is off when connecting and discon-
necting the charger cables to the 12-volt
battery.
■After recharging/reconnecting the
12-volt battery
●The hybrid system may not start. Follow
the procedure below to initialize the sys-
tem.
1 Shift the shift lever to P.
2 Open and close any of the doors.
3 Restart the hybrid system.
●Unlocking the doors using the smart
access system with push-button start may
not be possible immediately after recon-
necting the 12-volt battery. If this hap-
pens, use the wireless remote control or
the mechanical key to lock/unlock the
doors.
●Start the hybrid system with the power
switch in ACCESSORY mode. The
hybrid system may not start with the
power switch turned off. However, the
hybrid system will operate normally from
the second attempt.
●The power switch mode is recorded by
the vehicle. If the 12-volt battery is recon-
nected, the vehicle will return the power
switch mode to the stat us it was in before
the 12-volt battery was disconnected.
Make sure to turn off the power before
disconnect the 12-volt battery. Take extra
care when connecting the 12-volt battery
if the power switch mode prior to dis-
charge is unknown.
If the system will not start even after multiple
attempts at all the methods above, contact
your Lexus dealer.

3996-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
10Install the cover.
11 Remove the protective tape.
■Back-up lights (bulb type)
1 Open the back door and remove
the cover.
Using a flathead scre wdriver, remove the
cover.
To prevent scratching to the vehicle, wrap
the tip of the flathead screwdriver with a
cloth, etc.
2 Turn the bulb base
counterclockwise and remove it. 3
Remove the light bulb.
4 Install a new light bulb and then
install the bulb base to the light unit
by inserting it and turning it clock-
wise.
After installing the bulb base, wiggle it
lightly to make sure it is securely installed
and turn on the back-up lights to visually
check that there is no light leaking from
between the bulb ba se and light unit.
5Install the cover.
Align the tabs of the cover with the grooves
and install the cover.

4317-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
2Turn the jack handle counterclockwise
to lower the spare tire.
If the spare tire still cannot be lowered,
attempt to fully tighten the spare tire clamp
bolt again by turning the jack handle clock-
wise. Then turn it coun terclockwise at least
2 turns to lower the spare tire.
If the spare tire still cannot be lowered, the
wire cable may be seve red. Have the vehi-
cle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
1 Remove 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, lead-
ing 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 an accident and
resulting in death or serious injury.
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.
• 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.
●Observe the following precautions.
(RX450hL)
Failure to do so may result in serious
injury:
• Do not try to remove the wheel orna- ment by hand. Take due care in han-
dling the orname nt to avoid
unexpected personal injury.
• Lower the spare tire completely to the ground before removing it from under
the vehicle.
■Replacing a flat tire for vehicles with
power back door
In cases such as when replacing tires,
make sure to turn off the power back
door main switch ( P.472). Failure to do
so may cause the back door to operate
unintentionally if th e power back door
switch is accidentally touched, resulting
in hands and fingers being caught and
injured.
Installing the spare tire

4397-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
fuel tank. Therefore, fill the fuel tank
carefully and slowly.
RX450hL
If the fuel filler door opener switch
cannot be operated, contact your
Lexus dealer to service the vehicle.
In case where refueling is urgently
necessary, remove the cover inside
the luggage compartment using a
tool, such as a flathead screwdriver,
and pull the lever to open the fuel
filler door.
When using a screwdri ver, make sure to
wrap its tip with tape to protect the cover.
Using the lever to open the fuel filler
door may not allow for an adequate
reduction in fuel tank pressure
before refueling. To prevent fuel
from spilling out, turn the cap slowly
when removing it.
During refueling, fuel may spill out
from the filler opening due to air
being discharged from inside the
fuel tank. Therefore, fill the fuel tank
carefully and slowly.
■When the electronic key does not work
properly
●Make sure that the smart access system
with push-button star t has not been dis-
abled at your Lexus dealer. If it has been
disabled, re-enable it.
●Check if battery-saving mo de is set. If it is
set, cancel the function. ( P.126)
■Unlocking the door
Use the mechanical key ( P.107) in
order to perform the following opera-
tions:
If the electronic key does not
operate properly
If communication between the
electronic key and vehicle is inter-
rupted ( P.126) or the electronic
key cannot be used because the
battery is depleted, the smart
access system with push-button
start and wireless remote control
cannot be used. In such cases, the
doors can be opened and the hybrid
system can be started by following
the procedure below.
NOTICE
■In case of a smart access system with
push-button start malfunction or
other key-rela ted problems
Take your vehicle with all the electronic
keys provided with your vehicle to your
Lexus dealer.
Locking and unlocking the doors

4407-2. Steps to take in an emergency
1Insert the mechanical key while
pulling on the driver’s door handle.
2 Unlock the door.
Turning the key rearward unlocks the
driver’s door. Turning the key again unlocks
the other doors.
3Remove the key, return the handle,
and then pull the handle again.
■Locking the door
1 With the door open, push down the
inside lock button.
2 Close the door.
■Key linked functions
1 Closes the windows and the moon
roof
* or panoramic moon roof* (turn
and hold)
2 Opens the windows and the moon
roof
* or panoramic moon roof* (turn
and hold)
These settings must be customized at your
Lexus dealer.
*: If equipped
1 Ensure that the shift lever is in P and
depress the brake pedal.
2 Touch the Lexus emblem side of the
electronic key to the power switch.
When the electronic key is detected, a
buzzer sounds and the power switch will
turn to ON mode.
WARNING
■When using the mechanical key and
operating the power windows or the
moon roof or panoramic moon roof
Operate the power window or the moon
roof or panoramic moon roof after
checking to make sure that there is no
possibility of any passe nger having any of
their body parts caught in the window or
the moon roof or panoramic moon roof.
Also, do not allow children to operate the
mechanical key. It is possible for children
and other passengers to get caught in
the power window or the moon roof or
panoramic moon roof.
Starting the hybrid system

4417-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
When the smart access system with
push-button start is deactivated in
customization setting, the power switch will
turn to ACCESSORY mode.
3Firmly depress the brake pedal and
check that is shown on the
multi-information display.
4 Press the power switch shortly and
firmly.
In the event that the hybrid system still
cannot be started, contact your Lexus
dealer.
■Stopping the hybrid system
Shift the shift lever to P, set the parking
brake, and press the power switch as you
normally do when stopping the hybrid sys-
tem.
■Replacing the key battery
As the above procedure is a temporary
measure, it is recommended that the elec-
tronic key battery be replaced immediately
when the battery is depleted. ( P.386)
■Alarm (For Canada)
Using the mechanical key to lock the doors
will not set the alarm system.
If a door is unlocked using the mechanical
key when the alarm system is set, the alarm
may be triggered. ( P.74)
■Changing power switch modes
Release the brake pedal and press the
power switch in step 3 above. The hybrid
system does not start and modes will be
changed each time the switch is pressed.
( P.185)
If the 12-volt battery is dis-
charged
The following procedures may be
used to start the hybrid system if the
vehicle’s 12-volt battery is dis-
charged.
You can also call your Lexus dealer
or a qualified repair shop.

4427-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If you have a set of jumper (or booster)
cables and a second vehicle with a
12-volt battery, you can jump start your
vehicle by following the steps below.
1Confirm that the electronic key is
being carried.
When connecting the jumper (or booster)
cables, depending on the situation, the
alarm may activate and doors locked.
( P.75)
2 Open the hood ( P.363) and fuse
box cover. 3
Open the exclusive jump starting
terminal cover.
4 Remove the engine cover.
5 Connect a positive jumper cable clamp to on your vehicle and connect the
clamp on the other end of the positive cab le to on the second vehicle. Then,
Restarting the hybrid system
A
B