Snow Lexus IS250 2012 Owner's Manual / LEXUS 2012 IS250,IS350 OWNERS MANUAL (OM53A87U)

55
1-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors and trunk
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■Using the trunk
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause parts of the body to be caught, resulting in serious injury.
●Remove any heavy loads, such as snow and ice, from the trunk lid before opening
it. Failure to do so may cause the trunk lid to fall closed again after it is opened.
●When opening or closing the trunk lid, thoroughly check to make sure the sur-
rounding area is safe.
●If anyone is in the vicinity, make sure they are safe and let them know that the
trunk is about to open or close.
●Use caution when opening or closing the trunk lid in windy weather as it may
move abruptly in strong wind.
●Do not attach any accessories other than genuine Lexus parts to the trunk lid.
Such additional weight on the trunk lid may cause the lid to fall closed again after
it is opened.
●The trunk lid may fall if it is not opened
fully. It is more difficult to open or close
the trunk lid on an incline than on a level
surface, so beware of the trunk lid unex-
pectedly opening or closing by itself.
Make sure that the trunk lid is fully open
and secure before using the trunk.
●When closing the trunk lid, take extra
care to prevent your fingers etc. from
being caught.
●When closing the trunk lid, make sure to
press it lightly on its outer surface. If the
trunk handle is used to fully close the
trunk lid, it may result in hands or arms
being caught.

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1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■Modification and disposal of SRS airbag system components
Do not dispose of your vehicle or perform any of the following modifications with-
out consulting your Lexus dealer.
The SRS airbag may malfunct ion or deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing death or
serious injury.
●Installation, removal, disassembly and repair of the SRS airbags
●Repairs, modifications, removal or replac ement of the steering wheel, instrument
panel, dashboard, seats or seat upholstery, front, side and rear pillars or roof side
rails
●Repairs or modifications of the front fend er, front bumper, or side of the occupant
compartment
●Installation of snow plows, winches, etc. to the front grille (bull bars, kangaroo bar
etc.)
●Modifications to the vehi cle's suspension system
●Installation of electronic devices such as mobile two-way radios or CD players
●Modifications to your vehicle for a person with a physical disability

137
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.
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 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 (vehicles with an auto-
matic transmission only), stop the engine and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattend ed 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 vehi cle. This may lead to death or a seri-
ous health hazard.
■Exhaust gases
Exhaust gases include harmful carbon mono xide (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.

147
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
Selecting shift ranges in the D positionTo drive using temporary shift range se lection, operate the “-” shift paddle
switch. The shift range can then be selected by operating the “-” and “+”
shift paddle switches. Changing the sh ift range allows restriction of the
upper limit of the gears to be used, preventing unnecessary upshifting
and enabling the level of engine braking force to be selected.
Higher shift range
Lower shift range
The selected shift range, from 1 to
6, will be displayed in the meter
cluster.
To return to normal D position
driving, the “+” sh ift paddle switch
must be held down for a period of
time.
■ Selecting a driving mode
The following patterns can be selec ted to suit current driving and
operating conditions.
Power mode
For powerful acceleration
and driving in mountainous
regions.
Normal mode
Snow mode
For accelerating and driving
on slippery road surfaces,
such as on snow.
Press “SNOW”
to return to nor-
mal mode.

150
2-1. Driving procedures
■When the “-” shift paddle switch is operated in the D position
When the “-” shift paddle switch is operated in the D position, a shift range will be
automatically selected. The highest gear of the first shift range will be one gear
lower than the gear in use during normal D position driving.
■Automatic deactivation of shift range selection in the D position
Shift range selection in the D position will be deactivated in the following situations:
●When the vehicle comes to a stop
●When range 6 is selected and the accelerator pedal is depressed
●If the accelerator pedal is depressed for more than a certain period of time
■To protect automatic transmission
A function is adopted that automatically se lects a higher shift range when the fluid
temperature is high.
■Gear position disp lay when driving
The current gear is displayed on the multi-information display. ( P. 1 7 0 )
■Downshifting restrictions warning buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving perfor mance, downshifting operation may some-
times be restricted. In some circumstance s, downshifting may not be possible even
when the shift lever or shift paddle switch is operated. (The warning buzzer will
sound twice.)
■When driving with the cruise control system
Engine braking will not occur during shif t range selection in the D position or S
mode, even when downshifting to range 5 or 4. ( P. 1 8 6 )
■Snow mode automatic deactivation
Snow mode is automatically deactivated if the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is
turned off after driving in snow mode.
■If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
P. 5 0 3

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
Snow modeThe snow mode is used for accel-
erating and driving on slippery
road surfaces, such as on snow.
Push the switch once more to
return to normal mode.
■Maximum downshifting speed
Adhere to the downshifting speeds in the following table in order to prevent over-
revving the engine. mph (km/h)
Shift positionMaximum speed
133 (54)
256 (90)
383 (134)
4108 (172)

165
2-2. Instrument cluster
2
When driving
■Indicators
The indicators inform the driver of th e operating state of the vehi-
cle’s various systems.
Turn signal indicator
( P. 1 5 4 )
(vehicles with
an automatic
transmission)
“ECT SNOW” indicator
( P. 1 4 7 )
Headlight high beam indi-
cator ( P. 1 74 )
(vehicles with
a manual
transmission)
“ETCS SNOW” indicator
( P. 1 5 3 )
(U.S.A.)
Headlight indicator
( P. 1 7 2 )
(vehicles with
an automatic
transmission)
“ECT PWR” indicator
( P. 1 4 7 )
(Canada)
Tail light indicator
( P. 1 7 2 ) Cruise control indicator
( P. 1 8 6 )
Front fog light indicator
( P. 1 76 )
(if equipped)
Intuitive parking assist
indicator ( P. 1 9 0 )
(vehicles with an automatic trans-
mission)
Shift position and shift range indica-
tors ( P. 1 4 6 )
Slip indicator ( P. 1 9 7 )
VSC off indicator
( P. 1 9 8 )
SRS airbag on-off indica-
tor ( P. 1 0 9 )
*1
*1
*1, 2

189
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
CAUTION
■To avoid operating the cruise control by mistake
Switch the cruise control off using the “ON-OFF” button when not in use.
■Situations unsuitable for cruise control
Do not use cruise control in any of the following situations.
Doing so may result in loss of control and could cause an accident resulting in death
or serious injury.
●In heavy traffic
●On roads with sharp bends
●On winding roads
●On slippery roads, such as thos e covered with rain, ice or snow
●On steep hills
Vehicle speed may exceed the set speed when driving down a steep hill.
●During emergency towing

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2-4. Using other driving systems
■Sensor detection information
●Certain vehicle conditions and the surrounding environment may affect the
ability of the sensor to correctly detect obstacles. Particular instances where this
may occur are listed below.
• There is dirt, snow or ice on the sensor.
• The sensor is frozen.
• The sensor is covered in any way.
• The vehicle is leaning considerably to one side.
• On an extremely bumpy road, on an incline, on gravel, or on grass.
• The vicinity of the vehicle is noisy due to vehicle horns, motorcycle engines,
air brakes of large vehicles, or other loud noises producing ultrasonic waves.
• There is another vehicle equipped with parking assist sensors in the vicinity.
• The sensor is coated with a sheet of spray or heavy rain.
• The vehicle is equipped with a fender pole or wireless antenna.
• Towing eyelets are installed.
• The bumper or sensor receives a strong impact.
• The vehicle is approaching a tall or curved curb.
• In harsh sunlight or intense cold weather.
In addition to the examples above, there are instances in which, because of their
shapes, signs and other object s may be judged by the sensor to be closer than they
are.
●The shape of the obstacle may prevent th e sensor from detecting it. Pay particu-
lar attention to the following obstacles.
• Wires, fences, ropes etc.
• Cotton, snow and other materials that absorb radio waves
• Sharply-angled objects
•Low obstacles
• Tall obstacles with upper sections projec ting outwards in the direction of your
vehicle
■When the display flashes an d a message is displayed
 P. 4 8 1

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2-4. Using other driving systems
To disable TRAC/VSCIf the vehicle gets stuck in fresh snow or mud, TRAC and VSC may
reduce power from the engine to th e wheels. You may need to turn the
system off to enable you to rock the vehicle in order to free it.
■ Turning off TRAC
Quickly push and release the
switch to turn off TRAC.
A message will be shown on the
multi-information display.
Push the switch again to turn the
system back on.
■Turning off TRAC and VSC
Push and hold the switch for more
than 3 seconds or more while the
vehicle is stopped to turn off
TRAC and VSC.
A message will be shown on the
multi-information display and the
VSC off indicator light will come
on.
Push the switch again to turn the
system back on.