towing Lexus GX470 2003 Basic Functions / LEXUS 2003 GX470 OWNER'S MANUAL (OM60979U)

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GAUGES, METERS AND SERVICE REMINDER INDICATORS
41
ENGINE COOLANT
TEMPERATURE GAUGE
 Normal range
The gauge indicates the engine coolant temperature when
the ignition switch is on. The engine operating
temperature will vary with changes in weather and engine
load.
If the needle points to the red zone or higher, stop your vehicle
and allow the engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe operating conditions,
such as:
 Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
 Reducing speed or stopping after high speed driving.
 Idling for a long period with the air conditioning on in
stop−and−go traffic.
 Towing a trailer. It is not a malfunction even if the needle of the engine coolant
temperature gauge returns to “C” when the ignition switch is
turned to the “START”.
NOTICE

Do not remove the thermostat in the engine cooling
system as this may cause the engine to overheat. The
thermostat is designed to control the flow of coolant
to keep the temperature of the engine within the
specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an overheated engine.
See “If your vehicle overheats” on page 364.

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INTERIOR EQUIPMENT
81
LUGGAGE STOWAGEPRECAUTIONS
When stowing luggage or cargo in or on the vehicle,
observe the following:
Put luggage or cargo in the luggage compartment when at
all possible. Be sure all items are secured in place.
 Be careful to keep the vehicle level. Placing the weight as
far forward as possible helps maintain vehicle balance.
 For better fuel economy, do not carry unnecessary weight.
CAUTION
To prevent luggage or packages from sliding forward
during braking, do not stack anything in the luggage
compartment higher than the seatbacks. Keep
luggage or packages low, as close to the floor as
possible.
 Never allow anyone to ride in the luggage
compartment. It is not designed for passengers.
They should ride in their seats with their seat belts
properly fastened. Otherwise, they are much more
likely to suffer serious bodily injury, in the event of
sudden braking or a collision.
Do not place anything on the luggage cover. Such
items may be thrown about and possibly injury
people in the vehicle during sudden braking or an
accident.
 Do not drive with objects left on top of the instrument
panel. They may interfere with the driver’s field of
view. Or they may move during sharp vehicle
acceleration or turning, and impair the driver’s
control of the vehicle. In an accident they may injure
the vehicle occupants.
NOTICE
Do not load the vehicle beyond the vehicle capacity
weight specified on the tire pressure label.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
11 2
Second and third seats
To raise the head restraint, pull it up. To lower it, press the
lock release button and push the head restraint down.
Second center head restraint: When an occupant sits on the
second center seat, always pull up the head restraint to the lock
position.
The head restraint is most effective when it is close to your
head. Therefore, using a cushion on the seatback is not
recommended.
CAUTION
 Adjust the center of the head restraint so that it is
closest to the top of your ears.
 After adjusting the head restraint, make sure it is
locked in position.
 Do not drive with the head restraints removed.
Stowing the third center head restraint
The third center head restraint can be stowed in the right
side third seatback when they are not in use.
To stow the head restraint, unfasten the zippers behind
the seatback and stow it into the seatback.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
128
CAUTION
Do not use the third center seat belt with either buckle
release. Fastening only the shoulder belt or lap belt may
cause severe personal injury in case of sudden braking
or a collision.
STOWING THE THIRD CENTER SEAT BELT
Stow the seat belt tabs into the cover of the roof as shown
above.
Make sure the tabs are securely locked in the cover.
PULLING OUT THE THIRD CENTER SEAT BELT
Pull the belt out a little and pull the tabs out from the cover.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
129
Stowing the second and third seat belt
buckles
 Second seat
 Third seat
The second and third seat belt buckles can be stowed
when they are not in use.
H anging the third outside seat betls
 Seat belt hanger
The third outside seat belts can be hung when they are not
in use.
CAUTION
The third outside seat belts must be removed from the
hangers when they are in use.

STARTING AND DRIVING
305
 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.
3. 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 automatically 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”.

STARTING AND DRIVING
307
(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.
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 below for your
reference:
Transmission Transfer
“L” “H”
“3” 53 km/h (33 mph) 136 km/h (85 mph)
“2” 36 km/h (22 mph) 93 km/h (58 mph)
“L” 21 km/h (13 mph) 54 km/h (33 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.
(d) Backing up
 1 Brake pedal 2 “R” (Reverse) position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.
When the shift lever is shifted into “R” position, the outside rear
view mirrors automatically down to help backing up. For
details, see page 116.

STARTING AND DRIVING
308
(e) Parking
 1 Brake pedal

2 Parking brake lever

3 “P” (Park) position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Apply the parking brake fully.
3. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “P” position.
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, never attempt to move the
selector lever into “P” under any circumstances.
Serious mechanical damage and loss of vehicle control
may result.
(f) Good driving practice
 If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down between
the 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 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.

SECTION 3 – 2
338
STARTING AND DRIVING
Driving tips
Off−road vehicle precautions 339
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Break−in period 340
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Operation in foreign countries 341
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Tips for driving in various conditions 341
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Off −road driving precautions 343
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Winter driving tips 345
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Dinghy towing 346
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Trailer towing 347
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How to save fuel and make your vehicle
last longer 356
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DRIVING TIPS
346Depending on where you are driving, we recommend you
carry some emergency equipment.
Some of the things you might put in the vehicle are tire chains,
window scraper, bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.
DINGHY TOWING
Your vehicle is not designed to be dinghy towed (with four
wheels on the ground) behind a motorhome.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle with four wheels on the ground.
This may cause serious damage to your vehicle.