Media Lexus GX470 2008 Owner's Manual

55
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel, etc.)
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■Seat belt damage and wear
●Do not damage the seat belts by allowing the belt, plate or buckle to be jammed
in the door.
●Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose parts.
Do not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat belts cannot
protect an occupant from injury.
●Ensure that the belt and tab are locked and the belt is not twisted. If the seat belt
does not function correctly, immediately contact your Lexus dealer.
●Replace the seat assembly, including the belts, if your vehicle has been involved in
a serious accident, even if there is no obvious damage.
●Do not attempt to install, remove, modify, disassemble or dispose of a seat belt.
Have any necessary repairs carried out by your Lexus dealer. Inappropriate han-
dling of the pretensioner may cause it to activate or operate improperly and may
cause death or serious injury.

87
1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the SRS side airbags
inflate as they may interfere with inflation of the airbags.
●Do not strike or apply significant levels of force to the area of the SRS airbag
components shown on P. 78. Doing so can cause the SRS airbags to malfunction.
●Do not touch any of the component parts immediately after the SRS airbags have
deployed (inflated) as they may be hot.
●If breathing becomes difficult after the SRS airbag has deployed, open a door or
window to allow fresh air in, or leave the vehicle if it is safe to do so. Wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent skin irritation.
●If the areas where the SRS airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel pad and
front pillar garnish, are damaged or cracked, have them replaced by your Lexus
dealer.
●Do not attach anything to or lean anything
against areas such as the dashboard or
steering wheel pad of the instrument panel.
These items can become projectiles when
the SRS driver and front passenger airbags
deploy.
●Do not attach anything to areas such as the
door, windshield glass, side door glass,
front and rear pillars, roof side rail or assist
grip.
●Do not hang coat hangers or other hard
objects on the coat hooks. All of these
items could become projectiles and seri-
ously injure or kill you, should the SRS cur-
tain shield airbag deploy.

94
1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■Front passenger occupant classification system precautions
●If an adult sits in the front passenger seat, the “AIR BAG ON” indicator light is illu-
iminated. If the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator is illuminated, ask the passenger to sit
up straight, well back in the seat, feet on the floor, and with the seat belt worn cor-
rectly. If the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator still remain illuminated, either ask the pas-
senger to move to the rear seat, or if that is not possible, move the front passenger
seat fully rearward.
●When it is unavoidable to install a forward-facing child restraint system on the
front passenger seat, install the child restraint system on the front passenger seat
in the proper order. (→P. 9 8 )
●Do not remove the front seat.
●Do not kick the front passenger seat or subject it to severe impact. Otherwise,
the SRS warning light may come on to indicate a malfunction in the detection sys-
tem. In this case, contact your Lexus dealer immediately.
●Do not use a seat accessory, such as a cushion or seat cover, that covers the seat
cushion surface.
●Child restraint systems installed on the second seat should not contact the front
seatbacks.

112
2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the engine running.
This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accelerator
pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal willresult in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident that could result in
death or serious injury.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a difficulty in operating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle only slightly, allowing you to depress the brake and accelerator pedals prop-
erly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, resulting in an acci-
dent.
●Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
●Do not let the vehicle roll backwards while the shift lever is in a driving position, or
roll forward while the shift lever is in “R”.
Doing so may result in an accident or damage to the vehicle.
●If the smell of exhaust is noticed inside the vehicle, open the windows and check
that the back door is closed.
Large amounts of exhaust in the vehicle can cause driver drowsiness and an acci-
dent, resulting in death or a serious health hazard. Have the vehicle inspected by
your Lexus dealer immediately.
●Do not under any circumstances shift the sh ift lever to “P”, “R” or “N” while the
vehicle is moving.
Doing so can cause significant damage to the transmission system and may result
in a loss of vehicle control.

115
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft drink cans in the vehi-
cle when it is in the sun.
Failure to do so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plasticmaterial of eye glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehicle’s electrical com-
ponents.
●Always apply the parking brake, shift the shift lever to “P”, stop the engine and
lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended while the engine is running.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipe while the engine is running or immediately after
turning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.
●Do not leave the engine running in an area with snow build-up, or where it is
snowing. If snowbanks build up around the vehicle while the engine is running,
exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle. This may lead to death or a seri-
ous health hazard.
■Exhaust gases
Exhaust gases include harmful carbon monoxide (CO) that is colorless and odor-
less. Inhaling exhaust gases may lead to death or a serious health hazard.
●If the vehicle is in a poorly ventilated area, turn the engine off. In a closed area,
such as a garage, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle. This may lead
to death or a serious health hazard.
●The exhaust should be checked occasionally. If there is a hole or crack caused by
corrosion, damage to a joint or abnormal exhaust noise, be sure to have the vehi-
cle inspected and repaired by your Lexus dealer. Failure to do so may allow
exhaust gases to enter the vehicle, resulting in death or a serious health hazard.

116
2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off.
Otherwise, you may accidentally move the shift lever or depress the accelerator
pedal, which could cause an accident or fire due to engine overheating. Addition-
ally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly ventilated area, exhaust gases may collect
and enter the vehicle, leading to death or a serious health hazard.
■When braking the vehicle
●When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and may cause one side of
the vehicle to brake differently than the other side. Also the parking brake may
not securely hold the vehicle.
●If the power brake assist function does not operate, do not follow other vehicles
closely and avoid downhill or sharp turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but it will require more force on the pedal than
usual. Braking distance may also increase.
●Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted brakes.
●The brake system consists of 2 individual hydraulic systems: if one of the systems
fails, the other will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal should be depressed
more firmly than usual and braking distance becomes longer.
Do not drive your vehicle with only a single brake system. Have your brakes fixed
immediately.
NOTICE
■While driving the vehicle
Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress accelerator and brake pedals together
to hold the vehicle on a hill.
■When parking the vehicle
Always put the shift lever in “P”. Failure to do so may cause the vehicle to move or
the vehicle may accelerate suddenly if the accelerator pedal is accidentally
depressed.

120
2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
■When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not press the accelera-
tor pedal while starting the engine under any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident resulting in death or serious injury.
■Caution while driving
Do not turn the engine switch to the “LOCK” position.
If in an emergency, you must turn the engine off while the vehicle is moving, turn the
key to only to the “ACC” position.
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not leave the engine switch in the “ACC” or “ON” position for long periods with-
out the engine running.
■When starting the engine
●Do not race the cold engine.
●If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have the engine
checked immediately.

128
2-2. Instrument cluster
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the engine and its components
●Do not let the indicator needle of the tachometer enter the red zone, which indi-
cates the maximum engine speed.
●The engine may be overheating if the engine coolant temperature gauge is in the
red zone (“H”). In this case, immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place, and
check the engine after it has cooled completely. ( →P. 4 0 8 )

131
2-2. Instrument cluster
2
When driving
CAUTION
■If a safety system warning light does not come on
Should a safety system light such as ABS and the SRS airbag warning light not
come on when you turn the engine switch to the “ON” position, this could mean
that these systems are not available to help protect you in an accident, which could
result in death or serious injury. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately if this occurs.
■Warning lights
Warning lights inform the driver of malfunctions in the indicated
vehicle’s systems. ( →P. 381)
*: These lights turn on when the engine switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion to indicate that a system check is being performed. They will turn off
after the engine is running, or afte r a few seconds. There may be a mal-
function in a system if the lights do not come on, or turn off. Have the
vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
(U.S.A.)(Canada)(U.S.A.)(Canada)
(if equipped)(U.S.A.)(Canada)
*******
*****
**

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2-3. Operating the lights and windshield wipers
■Daytime running light system
To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers, the headlights turn on automati-
cally (at a reduced intensity) whenever the engine is started and the parking brake
is released. Daytime running lights are not designed for use at night.
■Headlight control sensor
■Automatic light off system
The headlights and tail lights turn off 30 seconds after a door is opened or closed if
the engine switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position while the headlights
are turned on. (The lights turn off immediately if the “LOCK” button on the key is
pressed after all doors are locked.)
To turn the lights on again, turn the engine switch to the “ON” position, or turn the
light switch “OFF” once and then back to the or position.
■Customization that can be configured at Lexus dealer
Settings (e.g. light sensor sensitivity) can be changed.
(Customizable features →P. 4 3 6 )
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not leave the lights on longer than necessary when the engine is not running.
The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything
that blocks the sensor is affixed to the wind-
shield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor detecting
the level of ambient light and may cause the
automatic headlight system to malfunction.