light lexus LFA 2012 Technical Information / LEXUS 2012 LFA (OM77006U) Owner's Guide

When driving2
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2-1. Driving proceduresDriving the vehicle................... 88
Ignition switch ........................... 98
ASG (Automated Sequential Gearbox) .......... 102
Turn signal lever ........................ 112
Parking brake ............................ 113
Horn ............................................. 115
2-2. Instrument cluster Gauges and meters ................. 116
Indicators and warning lights .......................................... 121
Using the menu........................ 124
2-3. Operating the lights and windshield wipers
Headlight switch...................... 158
Windshield wipers and washer ..................................... 160 2-4. Using other driving
systems
Rear view monitor system .... 163
Driving assist systems ............ 166
Active rear wing ........................ 171
Launch control.......................... 174
2-5. Driving information Cargo and luggage ................. 176
Vehicle load limits .................... 179
Winter driving tips .................. 180
Trailer towing ........................... 182
Dinghy towing .......................... 183

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
■When parking the vehicle
P. 1 1 0
■Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability of the
correct fuel. ( P. 3 6 0 )
CAUTION
■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 accelerato r pedal instead of the brake pedal will
result in sudden acceleration that may le ad to an accident that could result in
death or serious injury.
• When backing up, you may twist your bo dy 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. This allows you to depress the brake and accelerator pedals
properly.
●Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. These hot parts may
cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.
●If the smell of exhaust is noticed inside the vehicle, open the windows and check
that the rear hatch 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 select Neutral while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so may cause insufficient engine braking, resulting in an accident.
●Do not turn the engine off while driving.
The power steering 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.

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2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
●Do not adjust the positions 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, resulting
in death or serious injury.
●Always check that all occupants’ arms, heads and other body parts are not out-
side the vehicle, as this may result in death or serious injury.
■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
and down-shifting, may cause the vehicle to skid, resulting in an accident.
●After driving through a pudd le, 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.
■When operating the paddle shift switches/reverse selector switch
Do not operate the paddle shift switches or reverse selector switch with the accel-
erator pedal depressed and Neutral selected.
Doing so may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of the vehicle that may cause
an accident and result in death or serious injury.
■If a brake pad wear warning message is displayed
Have your Lexus dealer check and replac e the brake pads as soon as possible.
The disc damage can result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
Moderate levels of the brake pad and disc wear allow enhanced braking power. As
a result, the discs may wear more quickly than conventional brake discs. Therefore,
when replacing the brake pads, Lexus recommends that you also have the thick-
ness of the discs measured.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads and/or
those of the brake discs are exceeded.

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not race the engine.
• If the vehicle is in any gear other than Neutral the vehicle may accelerate sud-denly and unexpectedly, causing an accident.
• 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 flammable material is
nearby.
• Racing the engine may emit loud noise, and possibly cause a nuisance, espe- cially after just starting the engine. This is because the structure of the exhaust
pipes cause the sound emitted from the exhaust to be louder than usual for
approximately 1 minute after the engine is started.
●Do not leave the vehicle with the engine running 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.
●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.
■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 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.
●Do not leave cigarette lighters in the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a place such
as the glove box or on the floor, it may be lit accidentally when luggage is loaded
or the seat is adjusted, causing a fire.
●Do not attach adhesive discs to the wind shield or windows. Do not place contain-
ers such as air fresheners on the instru ment panel or dashboard. Adhesive discs
or containers may act as lenses, causing a fire in the vehicle.

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2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
●Do not leave a door or window open if the curved glass is coated with a metal-
lized film such as a silver-colored one. Reflected sunlight may cause the glass to
act as a lens, causing a fire.
●Always apply the parking brake, select 1st gear or Reverse, stop the engine and
lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattend ed while the engine is running.
●Do not stop the engine without first chec king the gear indicator to confirm that
either 1st gear or Reverse is selected.
●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.
●Do not touch the hood grilles, bezels in the
radiator grilles, or exhaust pipes and sur-
rounding area while the engine is running
or immediately after tu rning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.

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2-1. Driving procedures
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When driving
CAUTION
■Exhaust gases
Exhaust gases include harmful carbon monoxide (CO), which is colorless and
odorless. 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 system 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 vehicle inspected and repaired by your Lexus dealer. Failure to do so
may allow exhaust gases to enter the vehicl e, resulting in death or a serious health
hazard.
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. If you take a nap with the engine on, you may acciden-
tally depress the accelerator and an accident or fire may occur due to engine over-
heating. In addition, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly ventilated area, exhaust gases
may enter the vehicle, leading to death or a serious health hazard.
■When braking the vehicle
●Be especially careful if the brakes are wet, such as when driving on wet or snowy
roads or immediately after washing the vehicle. When the brakes are wet, their
efficiency may be reduced and the vehicle may brake unevenly to the left or right.
The efficiency of the parking brake may also be reduced.
●The brake system consists of 3 individual hydraulic systems; if one of the systems
fails, the others will still operate. In th is case, the brake pedal should be depressed
more firmly than usual and the braking distance will increase. If this happens, do
not continue to drive the vehicle. If the brake system warning light (red indicator)
comes on together with the buzzer sound while driving, immediately stop the
vehicle in a safe place and contact your Lexus dealer.

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2-1. Driving procedures
Ignition switch
■Starting the engine
Sit in the driver’s seat and firmly depress the brake pedal.
Turn the ignition switch to the
“ON” position.
The current gear will be displayed
on the meter as a blinking symbol.
Pull both paddle shift switches at
the same time.
“N” will be displayed in the gear
indicator.
The indicator light on the steering
wheel illuminates in red.
Press the “ENGINE START”
switch.
After one press, the engine will
crank until it starts or for up to 20
seconds, whichever is less.
Continue depressing the brake
pedal until the engine is completely
started.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4

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2-1. Driving procedures
■If the engine does not start
●Repeat the procedure again. If the engine does not start after a few tries, the
“ENGINE START” switch may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected
by your Lexus dealer.
●Check to make sure that the brake pedal is firmly depressed and that “N” is dis-
played in the gear indicator. (If the brake pedal is not depressed or “N” is not
displayed, the engine will not start.)
●The engine immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. ( P. 5 3 )
●In order to protect the engine, the engine may not start when the engine coolant
temperature or the engine oil temperature is below -13 F (-25C). In that case,
a buzzer will sound and “Temp low Engine cannot be started” will be shown on
the meter. ( P. 3 2 7 )
■When the steering lock cannot be released
■Key reminder function
A buzzer sounds if the driver’s door is opened while the ignition switch is in the
“LOCK” or “ACC” position to remind you to remove the key.
■After reconnecting the battery
If the gear indicator is not displayed when an attempt is made to start the engine,
the engine is not yet ready to start. Depr ess the brake pedal for several seconds and
wait for the gear indicator to appear.
When starting the engine, the ignition switch
may seem stuck in the “LOCK” position. To
free it, turn the key while turning the steering
wheel slightly left and right.

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
Shift speed selectionOne of seven different shift speeds can be selected for SPORT, NOR-
MAL, and WET driving modes using the shift speed selector. The
selected shift speed level is indicated on the meter.
Fast (shorter shifting time)
Slow (longer shifting time)
The shift speed is shown below the
speedometer. The more indicator
lights that are illuminated, the
faster the shift speed (less time
required for gear changes).
Slow
Fast

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2-1. Driving procedures
Turn signal lever
The turn signal lever can be used to show the following intentions of the driver:
Right turn
Left turn
Move and hold the lever part-
way to signal a lane change
The right hand signal will flash until
you release the lever.
Move and hold the lever part-
way to signal a lane change
The left hand signal will flash until
you release the lever.
■Turn signals can be operated when
The ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
■If the indicator flashes faster than usual
A light bulb in the front or rear turn signal light may have burned out. Have the vehi-
cle inspected at your Lexus dealer.