LEXUS NX300 2020 Owner's Guide
Manufacturer: LEXUS, Model Year: 2020, Model line: NX300, Model: LEXUS NX300 2020Pages: 468, PDF Size: 10.24 MB
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For safety and security
cle is subjected to certain types of 
severe frontal or side collision or a 
vehicle rollover.
The pretensioners do not activate in the 
event of a minor frontal impact, a minor 
side impact or a rear impact.
■Replacing the belt after the preten-
sioner has been activated
If the vehicle is involved in multiple colli-
sions, the pretensioner will activate for the 
first collision, but will not activate for the 
second or subsequent collisions.
WARNING
Observe the following precautions to 
reduce the risk of injury in the event of 
sudden braking, sudden swerving or an 
accident.
Failure to do so may cause death or seri-
ous injury.
■Seat belt pretensioners
●Do not place anything, such as a cush-
ion, on the front passenger’s seat. 
Doing so will disperse the passenger’s 
weight, which prevents the sensor 
from detecting the passenger’s weight 
properly. As a result , the seat belt pre-
tensioner for the front passenger’s seat 
may not activate in the event of a colli-
sion.
●If the pretensioner has activated, the 
SRS warning light will  come on. In that 
case, the seat belt cannot be used 
again and must be replaced at your 
Lexus dealer. 
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■Location of the SRS airbags
SRS front airbags
SRS driver airbag/front passenger airbag
Can help protect the head and chest of the driver and front passenger from impact with 
interior components
SRS knee airbag
Can help provide driver protection
SRS seat cushion airbag
Can help restrain the front passenger
SRS side and curtain shield airbagsSRS side airbags
Can help protect the torso of  the front seat occupants
SRS airbags
The SRS airbags inflate when the vehicl e is subjected to certain types of 
severe impacts that may cause significant injury to the occupants. They work 
together with the seat belts to help redu ce the risk of death or serious injury.
SRS airbag system
A
B
C
D 
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SRS curtain shield airbags
• Can help protect primarily the head  of occupants in the outer seats
• Can help prevent the occupants from being thrown from the vehicle in the event of vehi- cle rollover
■SRS airbag system components
Front passenger airbag
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF” indicator lights
Side airbags
Curtain shield airbags
Side impact sensors (rear)
SRS warning light
Front passenger occupant classifi cation system (ECU and sensors)
Driver airbag
Side impact sensors (front door)
Driver’s seat belt pretensioner
Front passenger’s seat belt  pretensioner and force limiter
Seat cushion airbag
Driver’s seat position sensor
Knee airbag
Driver’s seat belt buckle switch
E
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O 
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Front passenger’s seat belt buckle switch
Front impact sensors
Airbag sensor assembly
Your vehicle is equipped with ADVANCED AIRBAGS designed based on the US 
motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The airbag sensor assembly (ECU) 
controls airbag deployment  based on information obtained from the sensors, etc. 
shown in the system components diagram  above. This information includes crash 
severity and occupant information. As the airbags deploy, a chemical reaction in 
the inflators quickly fills the airbags with no n-toxic gas to help restrain the motion of 
the occupants.
■If the SRS airbags deploy (inflate)
●Slight abrasions, burn s, bruising, etc., may 
be sustained from SRS airbags, due to the 
extremely high speed deployment (infla-
tion) by hot gases.
●A loud noise and white powder will be 
emitted.
●Parts of the airbag module (steering 
wheel hub, airbag cover and inflator) as 
well as the front seat s, parts of the front 
and rear pillars, and roof side rails, may 
be hot for several minutes. The airbag 
itself may also be hot.
●The windshield may crack.
●All of the doors will be unlocked. 
(  P.101)
●Fuel supply to the engine will be stopped. 
( P.374)
●For Lexus Enform Safety Connect sub-
scribers, if any of the following situations 
occur, the system is designed to send an 
emergency call to the response center, 
notifying them of the vehicle’s location 
(without needing to push the “SOS” but-
ton) and an agent will attempt to speak 
with the occupants to ascertain the level 
of emergency and assi stance required. If 
the occupants are unable to communi-
cate, the agent automatically treats the 
call as an emergency and helps to dis-
patch the necessary emergency services. 
(  P.61)
• An SRS airbag is deployed.
• A seat belt pretensioner is activated. • The vehicle is involved in a severe rear-
end collision.
■SRS airbag deployment  conditions (SRS 
front airbags)
●The SRS front airbags will deploy in the 
event of an impact that exceeds the set 
threshold level (the  level of force corre-
sponding to an approximately 12-18 mph 
[20-30 km/h] frontal collision with a 
fixed wall that does not move or deform).
However, this threshold velocity will be con-
siderably higher in the following situations:
• If the vehicle strikes an object, such as a  parked vehicle or sign pole, which can 
move or deform on impact
• If the vehicle is involved in an underride 
collision, such as a collision in which the 
front of the vehicle underrides, or goes 
under, the bed of a truck
●Depending on the type of collision, it is 
possible that only the seat belt preten-
sioners will activate.
●The SRS front airbags for the front pas-
senger will not activate if there is no pas-
senger sitting in the front passenger seat. 
However, the SRS front airbags for the 
front passenger may deploy if luggage is 
put in the seat, even if the seat is unoccu-
pied.
●The SRS seat cushion airbag on the front 
passenger seat will not operate if the 
occupant is not wearing a seat belt.
■SRS airbag deployment  conditions (SRS 
side and curtain shield airbags)
●The SRS side and curtain shield airbags 
P
Q
R 
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will deploy in the event of an impact that 
exceeds the set thresh old level (the level 
of force corresponding to the impact 
force produced by an approximately 
3300 lb. [1500 kg] vehicle colliding with 
the vehicle cabin from a direction per-
pendicular to the vehi cle orientation at an 
approximate speed of 12 -18 mph [20 -
30 km/h]).
●Both SRS curtain shield airbags will 
deploy in the event of vehicle rollover.
●Both SRS side airbags will deploy in the 
event of a severe frontal collision.
●Both SRS curtain shield airbags may also 
deploy in the event of a severe frontal col-
lision.
■Conditions under which the SRS air-
bags may deploy (inf late), other than a 
collision
The SRS front airbags, SRS side and curtain 
shield airbags may also deploy if a serious 
impact occurs to the underside of your 
vehicle. Some examples are shown in the 
illustration.
●Hitting a curb, edge of  pavement or hard 
surface
●Falling into or jumping over a deep hole
●Landing hard or falling
The SRS curtain shield airbags may also 
deploy under the situations shown in the 
illustration.
●The angle of vehicle tip-up is marginal.
●The vehicle skids and hits a curb stone.
■Types of collisions  that may not deploy 
the SRS airbags (SRS front airbags)
The SRS front airbags do not generally 
inflate if the vehicle is involved in a side or 
rear collision, if it rolls over, or if it is involved 
in a low-speed frontal collision. But, when-
ever a collision of any type causes sufficient 
forward deceleration of the vehicle, deploy-
ment of the SRS fron t airbags may occur.
●Collision from the side
●Collision from the rear
●Vehicle rollover
■Types of collisions that may not deploy 
the SRS airbags (SRS side and curtain 
shield airbags)
The SRS side and curtain shield airbags 
may not activate if the vehicle is subjected 
to a collision from the side at certain angles, 
or a collision to the side of the vehicle body 
other than the passenger compartment.
●Collision from the side to the vehicle 
body other than the passenger compart-
ment
●Collision from the side at an angle 
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The SRS side airbags do not generally 
inflate if the vehicle is involved in a rear colli-
sion, if it rolls over, or if
 it is involved in a low-
speed side or low-speed frontal collision.
●Collision from the rear
●Vehicle rollover
The SRS curtain shield airbags do not gen-
erally inflate if the vehicle is involved in a 
rear collision, if it pitc hes end over end, or if 
it is involved in a low-speed side or low-
speed frontal collision.
●Collision from the rear
●Pitching end over end
■When to contact your Lexus dealer
In the following cases, the vehicle will 
require inspection and/or repair. Contact 
your Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
●Any of the SRS airbags have been 
inflated.
●The front of the vehicle is damaged or 
deformed, or was involved in an accident 
that was not severe enough to cause the 
SRS front airbags to inflate.
●A portion of a door or its surrounding 
area is damaged or deformed, or the 
vehicle was involved in an accident that 
was not severe enough to cause the SRS 
side and curtain shield airbags to inflate.
●The pad section of the steering wheel, 
dashboard near the front passenger air-
bag or lower portion of the instrument 
panel is scratched,  cracked, or otherwise 
damaged.
●The front passenger’s seat cushion sur-
face is scratched, cracked, or otherwise 
damaged.
●The surface of the seats with the SRS side 
airbag is scratched, cracked, or other-
wise damaged. 
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●The portion of the front pillars, rear pillars 
or roof side rail garnishes (padding) con-
taining the SRS curtain shield airbags 
inside is scratched, cracked, or otherwise 
damaged.
WARNING
■SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions 
regarding the SRS airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death or seri-
ous 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 the driver’s air-
bag 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 breast-
bone. 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 pedals 
comfortably.
• 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 recom-
mended by NHTSA above, while still 
maintaining control of the foot pedals, 
steering wheel, and your view of the 
instrument panel controls. 
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WARNING
●If the seat belt extender has been con-
nected to the front seat belt buckles 
but the seat belt extender has not also 
been fastened to the latch plate of the 
seat belt, the SRS front airbags will 
judge that the driver and front passen-
ger are wearing the seat belt even 
though the seat belt has not been con-
nected. In this case, the SRS front air-
bags may not activate correctly in a 
collision, resulting in death or serious 
injury in the event of a collision. Be 
sure to wear the seat belt with the seat 
belt extender.
●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 passen-
ger seat should be as far from the air-
bag as possible with the seatback 
adjusted, so the front passenger sits 
upright.
●Improperly seated and/or restrained 
infants and children can be killed or 
seriously 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 safer for 
infants and children than the front pas-
senger seat. ( P.48)
●Do not sit on the edge of the seat or 
lean against the dashboard.
●Do not allow a child to stand in front of 
the SRS front passenger airbag unit or 
sit on the knees of a front passenger.
●Do not allow the front seat occupants 
to hold items on their knees.
●Do not lean against the door, the roof 
side rail or the front, side and rear pil-
lars.
●Do not allow anyone to kneel on the 
passenger seat toward  the door or put 
their head or hands outside the vehi-
cle. 
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WARNING
●Do not attach anything to or lean any-
thing against areas such as the dash-
board, steering wheel pad and lower 
portion of the instrument panel.
These items can become projectiles 
when the SRS driver, front passenger 
and knee airbags deploy.
●Do not attach anything to areas such 
as a door, windshield, side door glass, 
front or rear pillar, roof side rail and 
assist grip.
●Do not hang coat hangers or other 
hard objects on the  coat hooks. All of 
these items could become projectiles 
and may cause death or serious injury, 
should the SRS curtain shield airbags 
deploy.
●If a vinyl cover is put on the area where 
the SRS knee airbag will deploy, be 
sure to remove it.
●Do not use seat accessories which 
cover the parts where the SRS side air-
bags and SRS seat cushion airbag 
inflate as they may  interfere with infla-
tion of the SRS airbags. Such accesso-
ries may prevent the side airbags and 
seat cushion airbag from activating 
correctly, disable the system or cause 
the side airbags and seat cushion air-
bag to inflate accide ntally, resulting in 
death or serious injury.
●Do not strike or apply significant levels 
of force to the area of the SRS airbag 
components.
Doing so can cause the SRS airbags to 
malfunction.
●Do not touch any of the component 
parts immediately  after the SRS air-
bags have deployed (inflated) as they 
may be hot.
●If breathing becomes difficult after the 
SRS airbags have  deployed, open a 
door or window to allow fresh air in, or 
leave the vehicle if it is safe to do so. 
Wash off any residue as soon as possi-
ble to prevent skin irritation.
●If the areas where the SRS airbags are 
stored, such as the steering wheel pad 
and front and rear pillar garnishes, are 
damaged or cracked, have them 
replaced by your Lexus dealer.
●Do not place anything, such as a cush-
ion, on the front passenger’s seat. 
Doing so will disperse the passenger’s 
weight, which prevents the sensor 
from detecting the passenger’s weight 
properly. As a result, the SRS front air-
bags for the front passenger may not 
deploy in the event of a collision. 
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WARNING
■Modification and disposal of SRS air-
bag system components
Do not dispose of your vehicle or per-
form any of the following modifications 
without consulting your Lexus dealer. 
The SRS airbags may malfunction or 
deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing 
death or serious injury.
●Installation, remova l, disassembly and 
repair of the SRS airbags
●Repairs, modifications, removal or 
replacement of the steering wheel, 
instrument panel, dashboard, seats or 
seat upholstery, front, side and rear pil-
lars or roof side rails
●Repairs or modifications of the front 
fender, front bumper, or side of the 
occupant compartment
●Installation of a grille guard (bull bars, 
kangaroo bar, etc. ), snow plows, 
winches or roof luggage carrier
●Modifications to the vehicle’s suspen-
sion system
●Installation of electronic devices such 
as mobile two-way radios and CD 
players
●Modifications to your vehicle for a per-
son with a physical disability