brake LEXUS RX330 2006 Owner's Guide

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406
(e) Parking
1Brake pedal2 Parking brake pedal
3“P” (Park) position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Depress the parking brake fully to securely apply the
parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “P” position.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector lever into “P” under
any circumstances while the vehicle is moving. Serious
mechanical damage and loss of vehicle control may
result.

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407
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down between
fourth and overdrive gears when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever into the “S” position. Be sure to shift
the selector lever to the “D” position after climbing the slope.
 When towing a trailer, in order to maintain efficient engine
braking and electrical charging performance, do not use
overdrive (fifth) gear.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped
with the engine running. This prevents the vehicle from
creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the parking brake to hold
the vehicle on an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold the
vehicle using the accelerator pedal, as this can cause
the transmission to overheat.
(g) If you cannot shift the selector lever
If you cannot shift the selector lever even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock override button. For
instructions, see “If you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 524.

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414
2Cancelling the cruise control
The cruise control may be temporarily cancelled by the driver
or by the system itself under certain circumstances.
Temporary cancellation allows the set cruising speed to remain
in memory.
The cruise control can be temporarily cancelled by doing the
following:
 Pulling the lever in the “CANCEL” direction and releasing it
 Depressing the brake pedal
Under certain circumstances, the cruise control is temporarily
cancelled:
 When vehicle speed falls below 40 km/h (25 mph)
 When vehicle stability control is activated
When vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10 mph) below the set
speed, the cruise control is cancelled and the set speed is
erased from memory.
The “CRUISE” indicator light remains on to indicate that the
system is still in operation.
To turn the cruise control off, press the “ON−OFF” button.
Make sure the “CRUISE” indicator light is off.
If the cruise control automatically cancels out other than for the
above cases, have your vehicle checked by your Lexus dealer
at the earliest opportunity.3Resuming the cruise control
If the cruise control is temporarily cancelled, the cruising speed
can be resumed by pushing the lever up in the “+ RES”
direction.
Vehicle speed must be above 40 km/h (25 mph).
4Resetting to a faster speed
Press the control lever upward in the “+ RES” 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 “+ RES” direction quickly.
However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle and
then press the control lever downward in the “− SET” direction.

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415
5Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the “ − SET” 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 “ − SET” direction quickly.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then press the control lever downward in the “ − SET”
direction.
Vehicle with automatic transmission (standard type) —
Even if you downshift the transmission from the “D” position to
“4” with the cruise control on, engine braking will not be
enabled 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.
Vehicle with automatic transmission (multi −mode type) —
Even if you downshift the transmission from the “D” or “5” (fifth
range) to the “4” (fourth range) with the cruise control on,
engine braking will not be enabled 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.Cruise control failure warning
If the “CRUISE” indicator light flashes when using the cruise
control, press the “ON− OFF” button to turn the system off and
then press 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.

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The dynamic laser cruise control function operates
automatically and depending on whether a vehicle is
detected ahead may change the
speed of your vehicle as
follows.
If no vehicle is running ahead of you —
1Cruising at a fixed speed: If there is no vehicle detected
ahead, your cruising speed is maintained at the preset
speed from about 45 km/h (28 mph) to about 135 km/h (85
mph). The preset speed is displayed in the display. For
the vehicle speed setting, see “(c) Setting the cruising
speed” on page 424. If a vehicle is detected ahead of you —
2Deceleration cruising function: If a slower moving
vehicle is detected ahead of you, your vehicle cruising
speed decreases within the range of about 40 km/h (25
mph) to 135 km/h (85 mph). The display shows the preset
speed, the detected vehicle ahead and selected
vehicle
−to−vehicle distance. If your vehicle gets closer to
the vehicle ahead because of insufficient automatic
deceleration, then the alarm warns you to also manually
apply brakes.
3Followup cruising function: After deceleration, your
cruising speed changes to match the speed of the vehicle
ahead in order to maintain a constant vehicle −to− vehicle
distance. The following distance can be changed. For
details, see “(h) Changing vehicle −to−vehicle distance”
on page 427.

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421
CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on dynamic laser cruise control.
Observe the following precautions in order to avoid
serious injury or death:
 Under certain conditions when the vehicle in front
slows abruptly, or is stopped, the dynamic laser
cruise control may be unable to decelerate
automatically or to warn you. You must apply the
brakes manually in order to maintain a safe
vehicletovehicle distance or avoid collision.
Therefore, pay careful attention to following
distance, even when using the dynamic laser cruise
control.
 Do not use dynamic laser cruise control in the
following conditions:
In bad weather (such as rain, fog, snow, sandstorms
or direct sunlight, or when raindrops or snowflakes
get on the laser radar sensor glass), the
vehicletovehicle distance will not be measured
accurately.
When using the windshield wipers at high or low
speeds, the dynamic laser cruise control turns off.
On roads with heavy traffic or sharp bends, an
appropriate speed cannot be maintained and an
accident may occur.
On slippery road surfaces (icy or snowcovered road
surfaces), the tires will race and you will be unable to
control the vehicle.
When there is no vehicle detected ahead on steep
downhill slopes, the preset speed will be easily
exceeded because of inefficient engine braking. (In
this case, automatic braking will not work.) If there is
a vehicle detected ahead, the delay in deceleration
timing could cause serious injury or death.
When the alarm sounds frequently (because of
frequent changes of speed or insufficient
vehicletovehicle distance), this indicates that the
system cannot maintain an appropriate
vehicletovehicle distance and an accident may
occur.
On roads with steep and short inclines and declines,
failure to detect the vehicle ahead will shorten the
distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead
and an accident may occur.

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Deceleration cruising function and approach
warning do not operate when the vehicle ahead is at
a stop or driving very slowly.
 If the vehicle ahead of you decelerates abruptly or if
another vehicle cuts in ahead of you, your vehicle
may collide with the vehicle ahead unless you
manually depress the brake pedal to slow down your
vehicle.
 Depending on the road configuration (curved, left
and right continuous curved, the start or end of a
curve, or narrow driving lanes due to road
construction) or your vehicle condition (steering
wheel maneuvering, position in the lane, or unstable
driving because of an accident or breakdown),
vehicles in other lanes or surrounding objects may
be detected, resulting in a control failure or the
approach warning activation. This may also result in
a very close distance between vehicles due to a
failure to detect the vehicle ahead.
Dynamic laser cruise control should not be used in
circumstances which are inappropriate for any cruise control,
such as entering free way on− ramps or off−ramps.
CAUTION
Do not use dynamic laser cruise control when exiting
from or when entering or merging onto a freeway.
When you are following a slower moving vehicle and
exiting, the sensor does not detect the vehicle and
will accelerate to the preset speed.

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Bring your vehicle to the desired speed, push the lever down
in the “−
SET” direction and release it. This sets the vehicle at
that speed. At this time, the display indicates settings such as
the preset vehicle speed, whether a vehicle is present ahead
and the selected following distance. If no vehicle is detected
ahead, the display does not indicate the vehicle ahead. You
can now take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If you need to accelerate — for example, when passing —
depress the accelerator pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the preset speed. When you release the accelerator pedal, the
vehicle will return to the control prior to acceleration.
You cannot set a desired speed if the master warning light
comes on, the alarm sounds and the display indicates one of
the warning codes “E1”, “E2” or “E3”. If any of the above codes
appears on the display, see “(l) Vehicle −to−vehicle distance
control mode failure warning” on page 431. (d) Cancelling the vehicletovehicle distance control
mode
The vehicle
−to−vehicle distance control mode may be
temporarily cancelled by the driver or by the system itself under
certain circumstances. Temporary cancellation allows the set
cruising speed and vehicle −to−vehicle distance to remain in
memory.
The vehicle −to−vehicle distance control mode can be
temporarily cancelled by doing the following:
 Pulling the lever in the “CANCEL” direction and releasing it
 Depressing the brake pedal
Under certain circumstances, the vehicle −to− vehicle distance
control mode is temporarily cancelled:
 When vehicle speed falls below 40 km/h (25 mph)
 When vehicle stability control is activated
The “READY” indicator light comes on to indicate that the
system is still in operation.
To turn the system off, press the “ON −OFF” button. Make sure
the “CRUISE” indicator light is off.
If one of the warning codes “E1”, “E2” or “E3” appears\
on the
display, the preset speed automatically cancels out. See “(l)
Vehicle −to−vehicle distance control mode failure warning” on
page 431.
If the vehicle− to−vehicle distance control mode automatically
cancels out other than for the above cases, have your vehicle
checked by your Lexus dealer at the earliest opportunity.

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(g) Resetting to a slower speed
Push the lever down in the “
− SET” direction and hold it. The
displayed speed will decrease in increments of 5 mph (for
U.S.A.) or 5 km/h (for Canada). Release the lever when the
desired speed is attained. The vehicle speed will gradually
decrease to the displayed speed.
However, a faster way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then push the lever down in the “ − SET” direction.
If the control lever is released when the vehicle speed exceeds
the upper limit of the preset speed traveling downhill while you
are pushing the lever down, the system will memorize the
upper limit of the preset speed as a preset speed.
With automatic transmission (standard type) —
Even if you downshift the transmission from “D” to “4” in th\
e
vehicle −to−vehicle distance control mode, engine braking will
not be enabled because this mode 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.
With automatic transmission (multi −mode type) —
Even if you downshift the transmission from “D” or “5” (fif\
th
range) to the “4” (fourth range) in the vehicle −to−vehicle
distance control mode, engine braking will not be enabled
because this mode 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. (h) Changing vehicletovehicle distance
1Long2Middle3Short
You can select one of the distances listed below.
1. Long
2. Middle
3. Short
Pulling the distance switch briefly towards you allows you to
toggle between long, middle and short vehicle −to−vehicle
distances. You can confirm the setting on the display.
Your vehicle speed changes to match the speed of the vehicle
ahead, maintaining the selected distance. However, if the
vehicle ahead slows, the actual vehicle −to−vehicle distance
will be shorter than the set distance.
When the vehicle−to−vehicle distance control mode is
activated or the “READY” indicator comes on, the
vehicle −to−vehicle distance setting can be changed.

STARTING AND DRIVING
428The vehicle
−to− vehicle distance is always set to long when the
ignition switch is turned on.
Select the vehicle −to−vehicle distance considering traffic
conditions. The approximate vehicle −to−vehicle distance
based on time interval when driving at 88 km/h (55 mph) is
shown below:
Long about 75 m (245 ft.)
. . . . . . . . . .
Middle about 50 m (165 ft.)
. . . . . . . .
Short about 30 m (100 ft.)
. . . . . . . . .
If vehicle speeds are slower than 88 km/h (55 mph), the
distance will be shorter than that listed above.
During long downhill driving, the actual vehicle −to−vehicle
distance may be less than that selected by the driver. (i) Braking control
Dynamic laser cruise control is not a collision avoidance
system. If the approach warning is activated, decelerate by
applying the brakes to ensure an appropriate
vehicle
−to−vehicle distance.
If you are nearing the vehicle ahead traveling at a higher speed
than the vehicle ahead or if engine braking cannot be applied
properly, braking control is automatically activated. At this
time, the display flashes.
Braking control operates only when the vehicle −to−vehicle
distance control mode is selected and your vehicle speed
exceeds about 40 km/h (25 mph). If the speed falls below
about 40 km/h (25 mph), braking control will cease, requiring
the manual application of brakes.