brake light Lexus GX470 2004 Engine / LEXUS 2004 GX470 FROM AUG. 2004 THROUGH SEP. 2004 PROD. (OM60B55U) User Guide

GAUGES, METERS AND SERVICE REMINDER INDICATORS
70
(j) VSC TRACº Warning Light
This light warns that there is a problem somewhere in the
following.
Vehicle stability control system
 Active traction control system
 Downhill assist control system
 Hill-start assist control system
The light will come on when the ignition key turned to ONº, and
will go off after a few seconds.
It is not a malfunction that the warning light may stay on for 60
seconds after the ignition key is turned to the ONº position.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly may turn on the lights.
It is normal if they go out after a few seconds.
There is no problem when the VSC TRACº warning light
comes on when the brake actuator temperature becomes high.
If the light comes on while driving, the above mentioned
systems do not work. However, as conventional braking
operates when applied, there is no problem to continue your
driving.
In the following cases, contact your Lexus dealer:
 The warning light does not come on after the ignition key is
turned to ONº.
 The warning light remains on after the ignition key is turned
to ONº.
 The warning light comes on while driving.
(k) KDSSº Warning Light (vehicles with kinetic
dynamic suspension system)
This light warns that there is a problem somewhere in the
kinetic dynamic suspension system.
The light will come on when the ignition key is turned to the
ONº position and will go off after a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, bring your vehicle to your
Lexus dealer as soon as possible and have it checked.
(l) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, stop the vehicle, turn off the
engine, and check for the cause. Look first at the engine drive
belt.
 If it is loose or broken, the generator will not charge the
battery properly.
 If the belt is O.K., there is a problem somewhere in the
charging system.
The engine ignition will continue to operate, however, until the
battery is discharged. Turn off the air conditioning, blower,
radio, etc., and drive directly to the nearest Lexus dealer or
repair shop.

GAUGES, METERS AND SERVICE REMINDER INDICATORS
73
(q) Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
This light comes on when the fluid level in the tank becomes
very low. Fill the tank as soon as possible.
(r) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the key when you open the
driver's door with the ignition key in the ACCº or LOCKº
position.
How to check all the service reminder
indicators (except the low fuel level warning
light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open the door.
The following service reminder indicator should come on. It
goes off when you close the door completely.
3. Place the four-wheel drive control lever in Nº position and
the selector lever in Pº position and turn the ignition key to
ACCº.
The following service reminder indicator should come on. It
goes off when you place the four-wheel drive control lever in
Hº or Lº position.

GAUGES, METERS AND SERVICE REMINDER INDICATORS
744. Turn the ignition key to ONº.
The following service reminder indicators should come on.
or

or or
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The following service reminder indicator goes off after a few
seconds.
or


The anti-lock brake system warning light, vehicle stability
control system off indicator light and vehicle stability control
system and active traction control system warning light may
stay on for about 60 seconds after the ignition key is turned to
the ONº position. It is normal if they go out after a while.
The following service reminder indicator should come on. It
goes off after about 6 seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warning buzzer does not
function as described above, have it checked by your Lexus
dealer as soon as possible.

STARTING AND DRIVING
391
PARKING BRAKE

U.S.A.

Canada
To set: Pull up the lever. For better holding power, first
depress the brake pedal and hold it while setting the
parking brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly (
1), press the lock
release button (2), and lower the lever (3).
Before leaving your vehicle, firmly apply the parking brake. For
better holding power, first depress the brake pedal and hold it
while setting the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure the parking brake is fully
released and that the parking brake reminder light is off.

STARTING AND DRIVING
392
HOW TO START THE ENGINE
Cranking hold function
Once you turn the ignition key to STARTº position and release
it, the cranking hold function continues to crank the engine in
ONº position until it starts.
The function stops cranking the engine after about 25 seconds
maximum if the engine has not started yet. When you crank
the engine again, wait a few seconds and restart it.
If you hold the key in STARTº position, the function will keep
cranking for about 30 seconds maximum.
Before cranking
1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Put the selector lever in Pº. If you need to restart the engine
while the vehicle is moving, put the selector lever in Nº. A
starter safety device will prevent the starter from operating if
the selector lever is in any drive position.
4. Depress the brake pedal and hold it to the floor until driving
off.
Starting the engine
Before starting the engine, be sure to follow the instructions in
Before crankingº.
Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/sequential multiport fuel
injection system in your engine automatically controls the
proper air-fuel mixture for starting. You can start a cold or hot
engine as follows:
With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition key to
STARTº position, then release it.
Engine should be warmed up by driving, not in idle. For
warming up, drive with smoothly turning engine until engine
coolant temperature is within normal range.
If the engine stalls...
Simply restart it, using the correct procedure given in normal
starting.
If the engine will not start...
See If your vehicle will not startº on page 481.
NOTICE
Do not race a cold engine.
If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have the engine checked immediately.

STARTING AND DRIVING
401
(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 leverº on page 513.
(h) Driving in second start mode
In the second start mode, the transmission system shifts up
from second gear. Use this mode when starting your vehicle
in sand, mud, ice or snow.
To set the second start mode, push the 2nd STRTº switch. In
the second start mode, the 2nd STRTº indicator light comes
on. To cancel the second start mode, push the 2nd STRTº
switch once again.
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM
(a) Four-wheel drive control
Use the four-wheel drive control lever and center
differential lock button to select the following transfer and
center differential modes.
The Hº and Lº position of the four-wheel drive control lever
provides either lock or unlock mode of the center differential
depending on the center differential lock button position.
Use the center differential lock system if your wheels get stuck
in a ditch, or when you are driving on a slippery or bumpy
surface. When the center differential is locked, the vehicle
stability control system is automatically turned off and the
center dif ferential lock and VSC OFFº indicator lights come on
because the function that controls engine performance
interferes with the process of freeing your wheels.

STARTING AND DRIVING
403
The indicator light tells when the differential lock is engaged.
Note that the differential is not still locked as long as the
indicator light remains off.
When
the operation is not completed, the indicator blinks. If the
indicator light does not go off when you push out the center
differential lock switch, drive straight ahead while accelerating
or decelerating, or drive in reverse.
The center differential lock system operation is not completed
within 5 seconds while the cruise control system is set, cancel
the cruise control system. To cancel the cruise control system,
see Cruise controlº on page 409. If the indicator light does not go off when you push out the
center differential lock button, drive straight ahead while
accelerating or decelerating, or drive in reverse.
See (b) Shifting procedureº for further instructions.
Advice for driving on slippery roads in Lº (low speed
position) mode
If you shift the four-wheel drive control lever to Lº, the
automatic transmission lever to 2º when you drive in steep
off-road areas, the output of the brake can be controlled
effectively by the active traction control system, which assists
the driver to control the driving power of 4 wheels.
Use the Lº position of the automatic transmission lever for
maximum power and traction when your wheels get stuck or
when you drive down a steep incline. In the following cases,
the out put of the brake can be controlled by the active traction
control
system if the engine speed is under 3000 rpm (normally
engine speed is under 3000 rpm when the wheels get unstuck).
 The four-wheel drive control lever in the Lº position and the
automatic transmission lever in the Lº position or the
automatic transmission lever in the Dº or 2º with the
transmission downshifting to the first gear.
 The four-wheel drive control lever in the Lº position and the
automatic transmission lever in the Rº position
(As for the automatic transmission lever positions, see
Automatic transmissionº on page 393.)

STARTING AND DRIVING
411
4Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the - SETº direction and
hold it. Release the lever when the desired speed is attained.
While the lever is held downward, the vehicle speed will
gradually decrease.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can be
lowered 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever downward in the - SETº direction quickly within 0.6
seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then press the control lever downward in the - SETº
direction.
Even if you downshift the transmission from the Dº position to
4º position with the cruise control on, engine braking will not
be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. To
decrease the vehicle speed, reset to a slower speed with the
cruise control lever or depress the brake pedal. If you use the
brake pedal, cruise control is cancelled.
5Resuming the preset speed
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling the control lever or
by depressing the brake pedal, pushing the lever up in the +
RESº direction will restore the speed set prior to cancellation.
However, once the vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25
mph), the preset speed will not be resumed.
Cruise control failure warning
If the CRUISEº indicator light in the instrument cluster flashes
when using the cruise control, push the main switch to turn the
system off and then push it again to turn it on.
If any of the following conditions then occurs, there is some
trouble in the cruise control system.
 The indicator light does not come on.
 The indicator light flashes again.
 The indicator light goes out after it comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Lexus dealer and have your
Lexus inspected.

STARTING AND DRIVING
421

Slip indicator light
Leave the system on during the ordinary driving so that it
can operate when needed.
You may hear a sound in the engine compartment for a few
seconds when the engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the active traction control
system is in the self-check mode, but does not indicate a
malfunction.
When the active traction control system is operating, the
following conditions occur:
 The system controls the spinning of the 4 wheels. At this
time, the slip indicator light blinks.
 You may feel vibration or noise in your vehicle, caused by
operation of the brakes. This indicates the system is
functioning properly. The slip indicator light comes on for a few seconds when the
ignition key is turned to ONº. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on, contact your Lexus
dealer.
VSC TRACº warning light
This light warns that there is a problem somewhere in the
following.

Active traction control system
 Vehicle stability control system
 Downhill assist control system
 Hill-start assist control system
When the system is normal and the ignition key is turned to
ONº, the warning light will come on and will go off after a few
seconds. It is not a malfunction that the warning light may stay
on for 60 seconds after the ignition key is turned to the ONº
position.

STARTING AND DRIVING
422Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly may turn on the light.
It is normal if it goes out after a few seconds.
The brake actuator temperature increases during continuous
operation of the above mentioned systems such as on slippery
roads. If the brake actuator temperature becomes too high
while any of the systems is operating, a buzzer will start to
sound intermittently to indicate that the active traction control
system can no longer operate. In this case, immediately stop
your vehicle at a safe place.
If the system continues to operate, the buzzer sound changes
from intermittent to continuous. (The continuous buzzer
sounds for about 3 seconds.) At the time, the VSC TRACº
warning light will come on and the active traction control
system temporarily stops operating in order to protect the
brake actuator. (Although the active traction control system
does
not operate, there is no problem to continue your driving.)
The system will be automatically restored after a short time and
the VSC TRACº warning light goes out.
If the light comes on while driving, the active traction control
system does not work. However, as normal braking operates
when being applied, there is no problem to continue your
driving.
In the following cases, contact your Lexus dealer:
 The warning light does not come on after the ignition key is
turned to ONº.
 The warning light remains on after the ignition key is turned
to ONº.
 The warning light comes on while driving.
VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL
SYSTEM
The vehicle stability control system helps provide
integrated control of the systems such as anti-lock brake
system, traction control, engine control, etc. This system
automatically controls the output of the brakes or engine
to help prevent the vehicle from skidding when cornering
on a slippery road surface or operating steering wheel
abruptly.
This system activates when the vehicle speed about more than
15 km/h (9mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine compartment for a few
seconds when the engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the system is in the
self-check mode, but does not indicate a malfunction.
CAUTION
 Do not rely excessively on the vehicle stability
control system. Even if the vehicle stability control
system is operating, you must always drive carefully
and attentively to avoid serious injury. Reckless
driving will result in an unexpected accident. If the
slip indicator light blinks and an alarm sounds,
special care should be taken while driving.