ESP Lexus IS250 2009 User Guide

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1-7. Safety information
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
●The driver and all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts properly.
The SRS airbags are supplemental devices to be used with the seat belts.
●The SRS driver airbag deploys with considerable force, and can cause death or
serious injury especially if the driver is very close to the airbag. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) advises:
Since the risk zone for driver airbag is the first 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 mm) of inflation,
placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm) from your driver airbag provides you with a
clear margin of safety. This distance is measured from the center of the steering
wheel to your breastbone. If you sit less than 10 in. (250 mm) away now, you can
change your driving position in several ways:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the pedalscomfortably.
• Slightly recline the back of the seat. Although vehicle designs vary, many drivers can achieve the 10 in. (250 mm)
distance, even with the driver seat all the way forward, simply by reclining the
back of the seat somewhat. If reclining the back of your seat makes it hard to
see the road, raise yourself by using a firm, non-slippery cushion, or raise the
seat if your vehicle has that feature.
• If your steering wheel is adjustable, tilt it downward. This points the airbag toward your chest instead of your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as recommended by NHTSA above, while still main-
taining control of the foot pedals, steering wheel, and your view of the instrument
panel controls.

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1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●The SRS front passenger airbag also deploys with considerable force, and can
cause death or serious injury especially if the front passenger is very close to the
airbag. The front passenger seat should be as far from the airbag as possible with
the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits upright.
●Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children can be killed or seri-
ously injured by a deploying airbag. An infant or child who is too small to use a
seat belt should be properly secured using a child restraint system. Lexus strongly
recommends that all infants and children be placed in the rear seats of the vehicle
and properly restrained. The rear seats are the safest for infants and children.
(

P. 100)
●If the seat belt extender has been con-
nected to the driver's seat belt buckle but
the seat belt extender has not also been
fastened to the latch plate of the driver's
seat belt, the SRS driver's airbag system
will judge that the driver is wearing the seat
belt even though the seat belt has not been
connected. In this case, the driver's airbag
may not activate correctly in a collision,
resulting in death or serious injury in the
event of collision. Be sure to wear the seat
belt with the seat belt extender.

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2-1. Driving procedures
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
■Starting off on a hill (vehicles with an automatic transmission)
Hill-start assist control will operate. (→P. 1 8 6 )
■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 shoes 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 3 3 )

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
■When starting the vehicle
With automatic transmission vehicles, 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.
●With automatic transmission vehicles, 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 cause the engine to stall or lead to poor brake and steering perfor-
mance, resulting 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 trunk is closed. Large amounts of exhaust in the vehicle can cause driver
drowsiness and an accident, resulting in death or a serious health hazard. Have
the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
●Do not under any circumstances shift the shift lever to P, R or N (vehicles with an
automatic transmission) or R (vehicles with a manual transmission) while the vehi-
cle is moving.
Doing so can cause significant damage to the transmission system and may result
in a loss of vehicle control.
●Do not shift the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so may cause the engine brake to not operate properly and lead to an
accident.

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2-2. Instrument cluster
2
When driving
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
■The information display at low temperatures
Allow the interior of the vehicle to warm up before using the liquid crystal informa-
tion display. At extremely low temperatures, the information display monitor may
respond slowly, and display changes may be delayed.
For example, there is a lag between the driver's shifting and the new gear number
appearing on the display. This lag could cause the driver to downshift again, causing
rapid and excessive engine braking and possibly an accident resulting in personal
death or injury.

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2-4. Using other driving systems
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
■Automatically cancelling constant speed control
The set speed is automatically canceled in the following situations.
●Actual vehicle speed is more than 10 mph (16 km/h) below the preset vehicle
speed
At this time, the memorized set speed is not retained.
●Vehicle speed falls below 25 mph (40 km/h)
●VSC is activated
■Vehicle-to-vehicle distance settings
Select a distance from the table below. Note that the distances shown correspond
to a vehicle speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). Vehicle-to-vehicle distance increases/
decreases in accordance with vehicle speed.
■Radar sensor and grille cover
Always keep the sensor and grille cover clean to ensure that the vehicle-to-vehicle
distance control operates properly. (Some obstructions, such as snow, ice or plastic
objects, cannot be detected by the obstruction sensor.)
Dynamic radar cruise control is canceled if an obstruction is detected.
Distance optionsVehicle-to-vehicle distance
LongApproximately 210 ft. (65 m)
MediumApproximately 150 ft. (45 m)
ShortApproximately 100 ft. (30 m)
Grille cover
Radar sensor

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2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
■CertificationFor vehicles sold in U.S.A.
FCC ID: HYQDNMWR005
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the fol-
lowing two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2)
this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
FCC WARNING
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
Radio frequency radiation exposure Information:
This equipment complies with FCC radiatio n exposure limits set forth for an uncon-
trolled environment.
This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance of 20 cm
between the radiator and your body.
This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other
antenna or transmitter.
For vehicles sold in Canada
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired operation of the device.
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 automatic 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.

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2-4. Using other driving systems
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)■
Back sensor operation display and distance to an obstacle
The system operates when the vehicle approaches within approxi-
mately 4.9 ft. (150 cm) of an obstacle.
Approximately 2.0 ft. (60 cm)
to 4.9 ft. (150 cm) from the
obstacle
Approximately 1.5 ft. (45 cm) to
2.0 ft. (60 cm) from the obsta-
cle
Approximately 1.1 ft. (35 cm) to
1.5 ft. (45 cm) from the obstacle
Flashing: Within 1.1 ft. (35 cm) of
the obstacle
■ Buzzer operation and distance to the obstacle
A buzzer sounds when the corner sensors and back sensor are oper-
ating.
● The buzzer beeps faster as the vehicle approaches an obstacle. When the
vehicle comes within the following distance of the obstacle, the buzzer
sounds continuously.
•Corner sensors: Approximately 0.8 ft. (25 cm)
• Back sensors: Approximately 1.1 ft. (35 cm)
●When two or more obstacles are detected simultaneously, the buzzer sys-
tem responds to the nearest obstacle.

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2-4. Using other driving systems
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
Driving assist systems
To help enhance driving safety and performance, the following systems
operate automatically in response to various driving situations. Be aware,
however, that these systems are supplementary and should not be relied
upon too heavily when operating the vehicle.
■ ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Helps to prevent wheel lock when the brakes are applied suddenly, or if
the brakes are applied while driving on a slippery road surface.
■Brake assist
Generates an increased level of braking force after the brake pedal is
depressed, when the system detects a panic stop situation.
■VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
Helps the driver to control skidding when swerving suddenly or turning on
slippery road surfaces.
■TRAC (Traction Control)
Maintains drive power and prevents the rear wheels (2WD models) or all
wheels (AWD models) from spinning wh en starting the vehicle or acceler-
ating on slippery roads.
■ Hill-start assist control (vehicles with an automatic transmission)
Prevents the vehicle from rolling backwards when starting on an incline or
slippery slope.
■EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce the amount of effort needed to turn
the steering wheel.

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2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
08_IS350/250_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
■TRAC may not operate effectively when
Directional control and power may not be achievable while driving on slippery road
surfaces, even if the TRAC system is operating.
Do not drive the vehicle in conditions where stability and power may be lost.
■If hill-start assist control does not operate effectively
(vehicles with an automatic transmission)
The hill-start assist control may not operate effectively on steep inclines and roads
covered in ice.
■When the VSC is activated
The slip indicator light flashes and a warning buzzer sounds. Always drive carefully.
Reckless driving may cause an accident. Exercise particular care when the indica-
tor light flashes and a buzzer sounds.
■When TRAC and VSC are off
Be especially careful and drive at a speed appropriate to the road conditions. As
there are systems to ensure vehicle stability and driving force, do not turn off TRAC
and VSC unless necessary.
■Replacing tires
Make sure that all tires are of the same size, brand, tread pattern and total load
capacity. In addition, make sure that the tires are inflated to the recommended tire
pressure level.
The ABS and VSC systems will not function correctly if different tires are fitted on
the vehicle.
Contact your Lexus dealer for further information when replacing tires or wheels.
■Handling of tires and suspension
Using tires with any kind of problem or modifying the suspension will affect the driv-
ing assist systems, and may cause the system to malfunction.