brakes Lexus IS250 2008 Using the air conditioning system and defogger / LEXUS 2008 IS250 OWNER'S MANUAL (OM53699U)

110
2-1. Driving procedures
■Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is raining, because visibility will be reduced, the windows
may become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.
●Drive carefully when it starts to rain, because the road surface will be especially
slippery.
●Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain, because
there may be a layer of water between the tires and the road surface, preventing
the steering and brakes from operating properly.
■Breaking in your new Lexus
To extend the life of the vehicle, the following precautions are recommended to
observe:
●For the first 186 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
●For the first 621 miles (1000 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in the low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
■Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system. This type of brake sys-
tem needs bedding-down of the brake shoe s periodically or whenever the parking
brake shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have your Lexus dealer perform the bed-
ding down.
■Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability of the
correct fuel. ( P. 4 0 9 )
■Normal characteristics after turning off the engine
Approximately five hours after the engine is turned off, you may hear sound coming
from under the vehicle for several minutes. This is because fuel evaporation leakage
check is performed. It does not indicate a malfunction.

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2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
●Do not turn the engine off while driving.
The power steering and brake booster system will not operate properly if the
engine is not running.
●Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving down a
steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause the brakes to overheat and lose effec-
tiveness. (P. 1 2 3 )
●When stopped on an inclined surface, use the brake pedal and parking brake to
prevent the vehicle from rolling backward or forward and causing an accident.
●Do not adjust the position of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or outside
rear view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control that can cause accidents that may
result in death or serious injury.
●Always check that all passengers' arms, heads or other parts of their bodies are
not outside the vehicle, as this may result in death or serious injury.
●Do not drive the vehicle off-road.
This is not a AWD vehicle designed for real off-road driving. Proceed with all due
caution if it becomes unav oidable to drive off-road.
●Do not drive across river crossings or through other bodies of water.
This may cause electric/electronic comp onents to short circuit, damage the
engine or cause other serious damage to the vehicle.
●Do not drive in excess of the speed limit. Even if the legal speed limit permits it, do
not drive over 85 mph (140 km/h) unless your vehicle has high-speed capability
tires. Driving over 85 mph (140 km/h) may result in tire failure, loss of control and
possible injury. Be sure to consult a tire dealer to determine whether the tires on
your vehicle are high-speed capability tires or not before driving at such speeds.
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and steer ing may cause tire slippage and reduce
your ability to control the vehi cle, resulting in an accident.
●Sudden changes in engine speed, such as engine braking caused by up-shifting
or down-shifting, may cause the vehicl e to skid, resulting in an accident.
●After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pedal to make sure that
the brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent the brakes from
functioning properly. If the brakes on on ly one side are wet and not functioning
properly, steering control may be af fected, resulting in an accident.

114
2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
●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 vehi cle. This may lead to death or a seri-
ous health hazard.
■Exhaust gases
Exhaust gases include harmfu l 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 ar ea, stop the engine. 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, result ing in death or a serious health hazard.
■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. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly ventilated area, exhaust
gases may collect and enter th e 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 downhills 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 brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted brakes.

115
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
●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.
■If the vehicle becomes stuc k or bogged (AWD models)
Do not spin the wheels recklessly when any of the tires is up in the air, or stuck in
sand or mud, etc. This may damage the drive system components or propel the
vehicle forward (or in another direction) and cause an accident.
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
●With manual transmission vehicles, do not rest your foot on the clutch pedal while
driving.
Doing so may cause clutch trouble.
●With manual transmission vehicles, do no t use any gears other than the first gear
when starting off and moving forward.
Doing so may damage the clutch.
●With automatic transmission vehicles, do not use the accelerator pedal or
depress accelerator and brake pedals together to hold the vehicle on a hill.
●With manual transmission vehicles, do no t use the clutch to hold the vehicle when
stopping on an uphill grade.
■When parking the vehicle
With automatic transmission vehicles, 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 accel-
erator pedal is accidentally depressed.
■Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
●Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for a long
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.

153
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
■Cruise control can be set when
●The shift lever is in the D or 4, 5 or 6 range of S. (vehicles with an automatic
transmission)
●Vehicle speed is between approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) and 125 mph
(200 km/h).
■Accelerating
The vehicle can be accelerated normally.
■Automatic cruise control cancellation
The set speed is automatically cancelled in any of the following situations.
●Actual vehicle speed falls more than 10 mph (16 km/h) below the preset vehicle
speed
At this time, the memorized set speed is not retained.
●Actual vehicle speed is below 25 mph (40km/h)
●VSC is activated
■Canceling and resuming regular acceleration
Cancel
Push the lever towards you to
cancel cruise control.
The speed setting is also can-
celed when the brakes are
applied or the clutch (manual
transmission) is depressed.
Resume
To resume cruise control and
return to the set speed, push the
lever up.

157
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
■Canceling and resuming the speed setting
Cancel
Push the lever towards you to
cancel cruise control.
The setting is also canceled
when the brakes are applied.
Resume
To resume cruise control and
return to the set speed, push the
lever up.
■Changing the vehicle-to-vehicle distance
Each push of the switch changes
the vehicle-to-vehicle distance
Long
Medium
Short
The vehicle-to-vehicle distance
is automatically set to the long
mode when the “ENGINE
START STOP” switch is
switched to IGNITION ON
mode.
A mark will be displayed to indi-
cate the presence of the vehicle
if a vehicle is running ahead of
you.
Preceding
vehicle mark

158
2-4. Using other driving systems
Driving in vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode This mode employs a radar sensor to detect the presence of vehicles
within 328 ft. (100 m) ahead and to judge the distance between your
vehicle and those vehicles.
Note that vehicle-to-vehicle distance will close when trave ling on long down-
hill slopes.
Example of constant speed cruising (when there are no vehicles
ahead): When set to 62 mph (100 km/h)
The vehicle travels at the speed set by the driver. The desired vehicle-to-vehi-
cle distance can also be set by oper ating the vehicle-to-vehicle distance
switch.
Example of deceleration cruising (when the vehicle ahead is driving
slower than the set speed): When fixed speed cruising is set at 62 mph
(100 km/h) and the vehicle ahead is driving at 50 mph (80 km/h)
When a vehicle is detected running ahead of you, in the same lane, the sys-
tem automatically decelerates your vehicle. When a greater reduction in
vehicle speed is necessary, the system applies the brakes. A warning tone
warns you when the system cannot decelerate sufficiently to prevent your
vehicle from closing on the vehicle ahead.
Example of follow-up cruising (when following a vehicle driving slower
than the set speed): When the speed is set to 62 mph (100 km/h) and
the vehicle ahead is driving at 50 mph (80 km/h)

161
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
■CertificationFor vehicles sold in U.S.A.
For vehicles sold in Canada
CAUTION
■Before using dynamic radar cruise control
Do not overly rely on vehicle-to-vehicle distance control.
Be aware of the set vehicle speed. If au tomatic deceleration/acceleration is not
appropriate, adjust the vehicle speed, as well as the distance between your vehicle
and vehicles ahead by applying the brakes, etc.
■To avoid inadvertent cruise control activation
Keep the “ON-OFF” button off when not in use.
FCC WARNING
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
FCC RF exposure information
This device complies with the FCC RF exposure requirements.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions;
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) This device must accept any interf erence received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation of the device.

162
2-4. Using other driving systems
CAUTION
■Situations unsuitable for dynamic radar cruise control
Do not use dynamic radar cruise control in any of the following situations.
Doing so may result in inappropriate co ntrol of speed and could cause serious or
fatal accident.
●In heavy traffic
●On roads with sharp bends
●On winding roads
●On slippery roads, such as thos e covered with rain, ice or snow
●Where there are sudden changes between sharp up and down gradients
●At entrances to expressways
●When weather conditions are bad enough that they may prevent the sensors
from functioning correctly (f og, snow, sandstorm, etc.)
●Where buzzer can be heard often
■When the radar sensor may not be correctly detecting the vehicle ahead
Apply the brakes as necessary when any of the following types of vehicles are in
front of you.
As the sensor may not be able to correctly detect these types of vehicles, the prox-
imity alarm ( P. 369) will not be activated, and an accident may result.
●Vehicles that cut in suddenly
●Vehicles traveling at low speeds
●Vehicles that are not moving
●Vehicles with small rear ends (tra ilers with no load on board etc.)
●Motorcycles traveling in the same lane

163
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
CAUTION
■Conditions under which the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control may not function
correctly
Apply the brakes as necessary in the following conditions as the radar sensor may
not be able to correctly detect vehicles ahead, and an accident may result.
●When water or snow thrown up by the surrounding vehicles hinders the function-
ing of the sensor
●When your vehicle is pointing upwards (caused by a heavy load in the trunk, etc.)
●When the road curves or when the lanes are narrow
●When steering wheel operation or your position in the lane is unstable
■To ensure the radar sensor functions correctly
Do not do the following to the sensor or grille cover as doing so may cause the sen-
sor not to function correctly and could result in an accident.
●Stick or attach anything to them
●Leave them dirty
●Disassemble, subject them to strong shocks
●Modify or paint them
●Replace them with non-genuine parts