lexus LS400 1999 Comfort Adjustment / LEXUS 1999 LS400 OWNER'S MANUAL (OM50514U)

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295
ELECTRONIC THROTTLECONTROL SYSTEM
The electronic throttle control system always
maintains appropriate engine output in relation to
the accelerator opening in all driving conditions.
31L008-3

1Power position 2Normal position
3Snow position
The electronic throttle control system has 3 modes:
Normal, Power and Snow modes.
Normal mode: For ordinary driving, Lexus
recommends that you use the normal mode to improve
fuel economy.
Power mode: For more powerful acceleration and
sporty driving.

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296In the power mode, the ºECT PWRº light in the
instrument cluster is on and the transmission is shifted
up at higher vehicle speeds and shifted down more
responsively than in the normal mode.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern
selector switch lightly on the ºSNOWº side.
Snow mode: For slippery road surfaces such as in
snow. In this mode, the spinning of the rear wheels is
controlled appropriately.
When
you push the driving pattern selector switch on the
ºSNOWº side, the snow mode is turned on and the ºECT
SNOWº light in the instrument cluster comes on.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern
selector switch on the ºSNOWº side again.
When you turn the ignition switch off in the snow mode,
the mode automatically changes to the normal mode.

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CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control allows you to cruise the vehicle
at a desired speed over 40 km/h (25 mph) with your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained although a slight
speed change may occur when driving up or down a
gradient, within the limits of engine performance. On
steeper hills, a great speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
When the cruise control is on, the driving pattern of the
automatic transmission is fixed in the normal position,
regardless of the position of the selector switch.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control of your vehicle,
do not use the cruise control when driving in heavy
or varying traffic, or on slippery (rainy, icy or
snow±covered) or winding roads.
 Avoid vehicle speed increases when driving
downhill. If the vehicle speed is too fast in relation to
the cruise control set speed, cancel the cruise
control then downshift the transmission to use
engine braking to slow down.

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Turning on the system
31L067
To operate the cruise control, push the main switch. This
turns the system on. The indicator light in the instrument
cluster shows that you can now set your desired cruising
speed. Another push on the switch will turn the system
completely off.
When the ignition key is turned off, the main switch is
also automatically turned off. To use the cruise control
again, push the main switch again to turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control engagement, keep
the main switch off when not using the cruise control.

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Setting at a desired speed
31L068
The transmission must be in ºDº or º4º before you set the
cruise control speed.
Bring the vehicle to the desired speed, press the control
lever downward in the ºSET/COASTº direction and
release it. This sets the vehicle at that speed. Now you
may take your foot off the accelerator pedal. If you need
acceleration ± for example, when passing ± depress the
accelerator pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed the
set speed. When you release the accelerator pedal, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior to the
acceleration.Cancelling the preset speed
You can cancel the preset speed by either of the
following:
a. Pulling the control lever in the ºCANCELº direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25 mph),
the preset speed will be automatically cancelled.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10 mph) below the
preset speed, the preset speed will also automatically be
cancelled.
If the preset speed automatically cancels out for other
than these reasons, have your vehicle checked by your
Lexus dealer at the earliest opportunity.

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300
Resetting to a faster speed
Press the control lever upward in the ºRES/ACCº
direction and hold it. Release the lever when the desired
speed is attained. While the lever is held upward, the
vehicle will gradually gain speed.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed
and the set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set
speed can be increased 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time by
pressing the control lever upward in the ºRES/ACCº
direction quickly within 0.6 seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the
vehicle and then press the control lever downward in the
ºSET/COASTº direction.
Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the ºSET/COASTº
direction and hold it. Release the lever when the desired
speed is attained. While the lever is held downward, the
vehicle speed will gradually decrease.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed
and the set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set
speed can be lowered 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time by
pressing the control lever downward in the
ºSET/COASTº direction quickly within 0.6 seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake
pedal and then press the control lever downward in the
ºSET/COASTº direction.
Even if you downshift the transmission from the ºDº
position to º4º with the cruise control on, engine braking
will not be applied because the cruise control is not
cancelled. To decrease the vehicle speed, reset to a
slower speed with the cruise control lever or depress the
brake pedal. If you use the brake pedal, cruise control
is cancelled.

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Resuming the preset speed
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling the control
lever or by depressing the brake pedal, pushing the lever
up in the ºRES/ACCº direction will restore the speed set
prior to cancellation. However, once the vehicle speed
falls below about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will
not be resumed.
Cruise control failure warning
If the ºCRUISEº indicator light in the instrument cluster
flashes when using the cruise control, push the main
switch to turn the system off and then push it again to
turn it on.
If any of the following conditions then occurs, there is
some trouble in the cruise control system.
 The indicator light does not come on.
 The indicator light flashes again.
 The indicator light goes out after it comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Lexus dealer and have
your Lexus inspected.
ELECTRONICALLY
MODULATED AIR SUSPENSION
(U.S.A. ONLY)
This electronically modulated air suspension
adjusts the damping effect on the shock absorbers
and the vehicle height. This adjustment is
automatically made in response to the driving
conditions to provide good riding comfort and
stability in all driving conditions.

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(a) Vehicle height adjustment
31L015a
This system maintains a stable vehicle height,
regardless of occupants and luggage weight. You
can select one of the following modes using a
selector switch.

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ºNORMALº
mode ± For driving on roads with a normal
surface.
ºHIGHº mode ± For driving on rough roads which are
unsurfaced or continually bumpy.
The damping effect is set slightly firmer in ºHIGHº mode.
So you may feel the vibration of the vehicle compared to
in ºNORMALº mode. However, this does not mean a
malfunction in the system. We recommend you use a
ºNORMALº mode in normal driving.
To change the mode, push the selector switch.
ºNORMALº mode
The vehicle height remains at normal height at all driving
speeds.
ºHIGHº mode
The vehicle height switches between the following two
vehicle heights according to the driving conditions:
Vehicle height
Driving condition
NormalMedium and high speed driv-
ing
HighLow speed driving

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31L016-2
The indicator light shows ºHIGHº mode is selected.
When you turn the ignition key to the ºONº position, the
indicator light will come on for 2 seconds in any mode.
NOTICE
For vehicles equipped with the height controlswitch, be sure to turn the ignition switch offbefore jacking. If this is not done, the vehicleheight adjustment function will operate, whichmay cause body damage.
(b) Malfunction warning
If the ºHIº indicator light blinks, there is a malfunction in
this system. Have the system checked by your Lexus
dealer at the first opportunity.
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
The traction control system automatically helps
control the spinning of the rear wheels which may
occur when accelerating on slippery road surfaces,
thus assisting driver to control the driving power of
the rear wheels.