Gear shift lever Lexus ES300 2003 Owner's Manuals (in English)

STARTING AND DRIVING
229
(a) Normal driving
 1“P” (Park) position 2“N” (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the
engine” on page 226.
The transmission must be in “P” or “N”. The engine will not start
in any drive position even if the ignition key is turned to
“START”.
 1 Brake pedal 2“D” (Drive) position
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the
selector lever to “D”.
Always use the “D” position to improve fuel economy and quiet
driving. Only in this position, shifting into the overdrive gear is
possible. However, while the engine coolant temperature is
low, the transmission will not shift into the overdrive gear even
in the “D” position. (See “(b) Using engine braking” and\
“(f)
Good driving practice” for exceptions.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while
shifting.

STARTING AND DRIVING
2303. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress
the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth starting.
In normal cruising, the vehicle will start in first gear and
automatically shift up to the most suitable gear. On inclines,
declines or
winding roads, etc., the vehicle shifts up and down
automatically according to the running conditions to obtain the
suitable driving power and engine braking.
When the lever is in the “4” position, the automatic
transmission system will select the most suitable gear for the
running conditions such as hill climbing, hard towing, etc.
If you need to accelerate rapidly while driving, depress the
accelerator pedal to the full throttle position. This provides
more acceleration by auto matically downshifting the
transmission to the next lower gear or beyond, depending on
the vehicle speed.
If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a long hill,
see “(b) Using engine braking”.
(b) Using engine braking
To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the
transmission in the way described below:
1 Shift into the “4” position. The transmission will downshift
to fourth gear and engine braking will be enabled.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from “D” to “4”, engine braking will not be
applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. If you
need to decrease the vehicle speed, see page 236.
2 Shift into the “3” position. The transmission will downshift
to third gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than 147 km/h (91 mph) and more powerful engine
braking will be enabled.

STARTING AND DRIVING
231
3Shift into the “2” position. The transmission will downshift
to second gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes
lower than 95 km/h (59 mph) and more powerful engine
braking than that of “3” position will be enabled.
4 Shift into the “L” position. The transmission will downshift
to first gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than 41 km/h (25 mph) and maximum engine braking will
be enabled.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface.
The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the
vehicle to spin or skid.
(c) Using the “3”, “2” and “L” positions
The “3”, “2” and “L” positions are used for strong engine
braking as described previously.
With the selector lever in “3”, “2” or “L”, you can start the vehicle
in motion as with the lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “3” or “2”, the vehicle will start in firs\
t
gear and automatically shift to second gear or third gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the transmission is engaged in
first gear.
NOTICE
 Be careful not to overrev the engine. Watch the
tachometer to keep engine rpm from going into the
red zone. The approximate maximum allowable
speed for each position is given above for your
reference.
“3” 147 km/h (91 mph) . . .
“2” 94 km/h (58 mph) . . .
“L” 52 km/h (32 mph) . . .
 Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long
time in the “3”, “2” or “L” position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission damage from
overheating. To prevent such damage, “4” position
should be used in hill climbing or hard towing.

STARTING AND DRIVING
233
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down between
fourth and overdrive gears when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever to the “4” position. Be sure to shift the
selector lever to the “D” position after climbing the slope.
 When towing a trailer, in order to maintain efficient engine
braking and electrical charging performance, do not use
overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped
with the engine running. This prevents the vehicle from
creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the parking brake to hold
the vehicle on an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold the
vehicle using the accelerator pedal, as this can cause
the transmission to overheat.
(g) If you cannot shift the selector lever
If you cannot shift the selector lever even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock override button. For
instructions, see “If you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 284.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
277
IF YOUR VEHICLE BECOMESSTUCK
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc.,
then you may attempt to rock the vehicle free by moving
it forward and backward.
If your vehicle is equipped with the traction control
system, turn off the system to become unstuck. (For
details, see “Traction control system” on page 237.)
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward if people or objects are anywhere
near the vehicle. During the rocking operation the
vehicle may suddenly move forward or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury or damage to nearby
people or objects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the following
precautions to prevent damage to the transmission and
other parts.
 Do not depress the accelerator pedal while shifting
the selector lever or before the transmission is
completely shifted to forward or reverse gear.
 Do not race the engine and avoid spinning the
wheels.
 If your vehicle remains stuck after rocking the vehicle
several times, consider other ways such as towing.