engine Lexus HS250h 2010 Basic Information Before Operation / LEXUS 2010 HS250H (OM75006U) User Guide

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When changing the shift position
Be careful not to change the shift position with the accelerator pedal depressed. 
Changing the shift position to any positions other than P or N may cause the vehicle
to accelerate abruptly, causing an accident and resulting in death or serious injury.
■If you hear a squealing or scraping no ise (brake pad wear limit indicators)
Have your Lexus dealer check and replac e the brake pads as soon as possible. 
Rotor damage may result if the pa ds are not replaced when needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads and/or
those of the brake discs are exceeded.
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not depress the accelerator pedal unnecessarily. 
If the vehicle is in any shift position other than P or N, the vehicle may accelerate
suddenly and unexpectedly , causing an accident.
●Do not leave the vehicle with the hybrid system on for a long time. 
If such a situation cannot be avoided, park the vehicle in an open space and
check that exhaust fumes do no t enter the vehicle interior.
●In order to prevent accidents due to the vehicle rolling away, always keep
depressing the brake pedal while the “READY” indicator is on. Apply the parking
brake as necessary.
●If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, in order to prevent accidents caused by the
vehicle rolling forward or backward, always depress the brake pedal and securely
apply the parking brake as needed.
●Avoid revving or racing the engine. 
Running the engine at high speed while the vehicle is stopped may cause the
exhaust system to overheat, which could result in a fire if combustible material is
nearby.
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarett e lighters, spray cans, or soft drink cans in the vehi-
cle when it is in the sun. 
Doing 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 plastic material of glasses to deform or crack.

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2-1. Driving procedures
NOTICE
■Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
●Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for an
extended period of time. 
Doing so may damage the power steering motor.
●When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid damag-
ing the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.
■If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering wheel
firmly and gradually depress the brak e pedal to slow down the vehicle.
●It may be difficult to control your vehicle.
●The vehicle will make abnormal sounds or vibrations.
●The vehicle will lean abnormally.
Information on what to do in case of a flat tire. ( P. 5 2 1 )
■When encountering flooded roads
Do not drive on a road that has flooded after heavy rain etc. Doing so may cause the
following serious damage to the vehicle:
●Engine stalling
●Short in electrical components
●Engine damage caused by water immersion
In the event that you drive on a flooded road and the vehicle is flooded, be sure to
have your Lexus dealer check the following:
●Brake function
●Changes in quantity and quality of engine oil, transaxle fluid for the hybrid system
etc.
●Lubricant condition for the bearings and suspension joints (where possible), and
the function of all joints, bearings, etc.
As flooding may damage components involv ed in P position control, the parking
lock may jam in the locked position.
■If the vehicle will not shift out of the P position
There is a possibility that the 12-volt batt ery is discharged. Check the 12-volt battery
in this situation.

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2-1. Driving procedures
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When driving
Power (ignition) switch
Performing the following operations when carrying the electronic key on
your person starts the hybrid system or changes “POWER” switch modes.
■Starting the hybrid system
Check that the parking brake is set.
Firmly depress the brake pedal.
The “POWER” switch indicator will turn green. If the indicator does
not turn green, the hybrid system cannot be started.
When shift position N is selected, the hybrid system cannot start.
Select the P position when star
ting the hybrid system.
Press the “POWER” switch.
After a while, the “READY” indi -
cator comes on with a beep
sound.
The vehicle can move when the
“READ
Y” indicator is on even if
the engine is stopped.
Continue depressing the brake
pedal
until the hybrid system is
completely started.
The hybrid system can be
star
ted from any mode.

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2-1. Driving procedures
EV drive mode
In EV drive mode, the electric motor (traction motor), powered by the
hybrid battery (traction battery), is used to drive the vehicle.
This mode allows you to drive in residential areas late at night, or in indoor
parking lots etc. without concern fo r noises and exhaust gas emissions.
Turns EV drive mode on/off
When EV drive mode is turned
on, the EV drive mode indicator
will come on. Pressing the
switch when in EV drive mode
will return the vehicle to normal
driving (using the gasoline
engine and electric motor [trac-
tion motor]).

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2-1. Driving procedures
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When driving
■Situations in which EV drive mode cannot be turned on
It may not be possible to turn EV drive mode on in the following situations. If it can -
not be turned on, a buzzer will sound and a message will be shown on the multi-
info
rmation display.
●Engine coolant temperature is low.
●Vehicle speed is about 19mph (30km/h) or more.
●The hybrid battery (traction battery) is low. 
An “Energy Monitor” display of level 3 or lower may indicate a low battery level.
(  P. 3 2 )
● The temperature of the hybrid system is high. 
The vehicle has been left in the sun, driv en on a
hill, driven at high speeds, etc.
●The temperature of the hybrid system is low. 
The vehicle has been left in temperatures lower than about 32°F (0°C) for a
l
ong period of time etc.
●The gasoline engine is warming up.
●The accelerator pedal is depressed firmly or the vehicle is on a hill etc.
●The windshield defogger is in use.
■Automatic cancellation of EV drive mode
When driving in EV drive mode, the gasoline engine may automatically restart in
the
following situations. When EV drive mo de is canceled, a buzzer will sound and
the EV drive mode indicator will flash and go off.
●The hybrid battery (traction battery) becomes low. 
The remaining battery level indicated in the “Energy Monitor” display is level 2
or lo
wer. ( P. 3 2)
●Vehicle speed becomes more than about 19 mph (30 km/h).
●The accelerator pedal is depressed firmly or the vehicle is on a hill etc.
When it is possible to inform the driver o
f automatic cancellation in advance, a prior
notice screen will appear on the multi-information display.
■ Possible driving distance when driving in EV drive mode
In EV drive mode, it is possible to drive up to about several hundred yards if driving
at
a speed of about 19 mph (30 km/h) or less. (The distance that is possible
depends on the hybrid battery [traction battery] level and driving conditions.)

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2-1. Driving procedures
■Fuel economy
HS250h is designed to achieve the best possible fuel economy during normal driv-
ing (using the gasoline engine and electric motor [traction motor]). Driving in EV
drive mode more than necessary may lower fuel economy.
CAUTION
■Caution while driving
When driving in EV drive mode, pay special attention to the area around the vehi-
cle. Because there is no engine noise, pedestrians, people riding bicycles or other
people and vehicles in the area may not be aware of the vehicle starting off or
approaching them, so take extra care while driving.

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2-1. Driving procedures
■Shift position purpose
*: For good fuel economy and noise redu ction, the D position should usually
be used.
■ P position switch
The shift position can be changed to P thr
ough use of the P position
switch.
Fully stop the vehicle and keep
depr
essing the brake pedal, and
then press the P position switch.
When the shift position is
changed to P, the switch indica -
tor comes on.
Check that the P position indi -
cator is illuminated on the shift
position indicator
.
●Changing the shift position from P to other positions:
• While depressing the brake pedal firmly, operate the shift lever. If the
shift lever is operated without depressing the brake pedal, the buzzer
will sound and the shifting operation will be disabled.
• The shift position cannot be changed from P to B directly.
Shift positionFunction
PParking the vehicle/starting the hybrid system
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*
BApplying moderate engine braking when driving down
hills or on steep slopes

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2-1. Driving procedures
■For the shift positions
●When the “POWER” switch is off, the shift position cannot be changed.
●When the “POWER” switch is in ON mo de, the shift position can only be
changed to N.
●When the “READY” indicator is on, the sh ift position can be changed from P to
D, N or R.
●The shift position can only be changed to B directly from D.
In addition, if the shift position is change d in any of
the following situations, the
buzzer will sound and the shifting operation wi ll be disabled or the shift position will
automatically change to N. When this happens, select an appropriate shift position.
● Situations where the shifting operation will be disabled:
• When the shift lever is changed from P to
another position without depress-
ing the brake pedal.
• When the shift position is changed from P or N to B.
● Situations where the shift position will automatically change to N:
• When the P position switch is pressed while the vehicle is running.
• When shift position R is selected when the vehicle is moving forward.
• When shift position D is selected when the vehicle is moving in reverse.
• When the shift position is changed from R to B.
■Reverse warning buzzer
When shifting into R, a buzzer will sound to inform the
driver that the shift position is
in R.
■About engine braking
When shift position B is selected, releasing the accelerator pedal will apply engine
br
aking.
• When the vehicle is driven at high sp eeds, comp
ared to ordinary gasoline-
fueled vehicles, the engine braking deceleration is felt less than that of other
vehicles.
• The vehicle can be accelerated even when shift position B is selected.
If the vehicle is driven continuously in the B posi
tion, fuel efficiency will become low.
Usually, select the D position.

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2-1. Driving procedures
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When driving
■Power mode automatic deactivation
Power mode is automatically deactivated if the “POWER” switch is turned off after
driving in power mode.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. Reverse warning buzzer) can be changed. 
(Customizable features  P. 5 7 2 )
CAUTION
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
Do not accelerate or shift gears suddenly. 
Sudden changes in engine braking may cause the vehicle to spin or skid, resulting in
an accident.
■For the shift lever
Do not hang anything on the shift lever. 
Doing so could prevent the shift lever fr om returning to position, causing unex-
pected accidents to occur when the vehicle is in motion.
NOTICE
■Situations where P position control system malfunctions are possible
If any of the following situations occurs, P position control system malfunctions are
possible. 
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place on level ground, apply the parking
brake, and then contact your Lexus dealer.
●When the “P Lock Malfunction” warnin g message appears on the multi-informa-
tion display. ( P. 5 0 2 )
●When the P position switch indicator flashes.
●When the shift position symb ols (such as P and R) are flashing on the shift posi-
tion indicator.
●When the shift position indicator remains off.
■When in heavy traffic
If shift position N is sele cted, the hybrid battery (traction battery) will not be
charged. To help prevent the battery from discharging, avoid leaving the N position
selected for an extended period of time.

164
2-2. Instrument cluster
■Limitations of brightness adjustment
The brightness of the instrument panel lights is automatically adjusted based on the
light sensor detecting how bright the surroundings are. However, if the instrument
panel brightness has been manually set to either the brightest or dimmest setting,
the automatic adjustment will not be performed.
■Hybrid System Indicator
●By keeping the indicator needle within Eco area, environmentally-friendly driv-
ing can be achieved.
Hybrid Eco area shows that gasoline engine power is not being used very often.*
1
●Charge area indicates regeneration*2 status. Regenerated energy will be used
to charge the hybrid battery.
*
1: The gasoline engine will automatically stop and restart under various condi- tions.
*
2: When used in this manual, “regeneration” refers to the conversion of energy created by the movement of the vehicle into electrical energy.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. Sensitivity of the ambient light sensor used for dimming the meter
lights) can be changed. (Customizable features P. 5 7 2 )
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the hybrid system and its components
A high engine coolant temperature warning light ( P. 492) is installed instead of
an engine coolant temperature gauge. If the high engine coolant temperature
warning light illuminates or flashes, the vehicle may be overheating. Immediately
stop the vehicle in a safe area ( P. 5 4 1 ) .
Eco area 
Eco Driving Indicator Light comes on
Hybrid Eco area 
Eco Driving Indicator Light comes on
Charge area 
Eco Driving Indicator Light comes on
Po w e r a r e a 
Eco Driving Indicator Light turns off