steering LEXUS RX350 2015 Service Manual

1251-7. Safety information
1
Before driving The SRS curtain shield airbags are not generally designed to inflate if the vehicle is
involved in a frontal or rear collision, if it pi tches end over end, or if it is involved in a
low-speed side collision.
■
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 has been inflated. ●
Collision from the front ●
Collision from the rear ●
Pitching end over end
●
The front of the vehicle is damaged or
deformed, or was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause the
SRS airbags to inflate.
●
A portion of the doors is damaged or
deformed, or the vehicle was involved in an
accident that was not severe enough to
cause the SRS side airbags and curtain
shield airbags to inflate.
●
The pad section of the steering wheel,
dashboard near the front passenger airbag
or lower portion of the instrument panel is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged.

1271-7. Safety information
1
Before driving CAUTION■
SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the SRS airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury. ●
The driver and all passengers in the vehi cle 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 driver’s airbag 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 breastbone. 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 dr ivers 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, ti lt it downward. This points the airbag
toward your chest instead of your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as recommended by NHTSA above, while still main-
taining control of the foot pedals, steering wheel, and your view of the instrument
panel controls.

1301-7. Safety information
CAUTION■
SRS airbag precautions
●
If a vinyl cover is put on the area where the SRS knee airbags will deploy, be sure
to remove it.●
Do not use seat accessories which cove r the parts where the SRS side airbags
inflate as they may interfere with inflat ion of the airbags. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from activating co rrectly, disable the system or cause the
side airbags to inflate accidentally, 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 airbags have
deployed (inflated) as they may be hot.
●
If breathing becomes diffic ult 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 possible 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 attach anything to or lean anything
against areas such as the dashboard, steer-
ing wheel pad or lower portion of the
instrument panel.
These items can become projectiles when
SRS driver, front passenger and knee air-
bags deploy. ●
Do not attach anything to areas such as the
door, windshield glass, side door glass,
front and rear pillars, roof side rail or 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.

1311-7. Safety information
1
Before driving CAUTION■
SRS airbag precautions ●
Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger's seat. Doing so
will disperse the passenger's weight, wh ich prevents the sensor from detecting
the passenger's weight properly. As a re sult, the SRS front passenger airbag may
not deploy in the event of a collision.■
Modification and disposal of SRS airbag system components
Do not dispose of your vehicle or perfor m any of the following modifications with-
out consulting your Lexus dealer.
The SRS airbags may malfunction or deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing death or
serious injury. ●
Installation, removal, disassembly and repair of the SRS airbags●
Repairs, modifications, removal or replace ment 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 a grille guard (bull bars, kangaroo bar, etc.), snow plows or winches●
Modifications to the vehi cle's suspension system●
Installation of elec tronic devices such as mobile two-way radios or CD players●
Modifications to your vehicle for a person with a physical disability

1552-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■
When starting off on an uphill
The hill-start assist control is available. (  P. 2 76 )■
Driving in the rain ●
Drive carefully when it is raining, becaus e visibility will be reduced, the windows
may become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.●
Drive carefully when it starts to rain, be cause the road surface will be especially
slippery.●
Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain, because
there may be a layer of water between th e tires and the road surface, preventing
the steering and brakes from operating properly.■
Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, the engine speed may become high while driving. This is
due to automatic up-shifting control or down-shifting implementation to meet driv-
ing conditions. It does not indicate sudden acceleration.●
The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill or downhill●
When the accelerator pedal is released■
Breaking in your new Lexus
To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is recom-
mended: ●
For the first 200 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.●
For the first 500 miles (800 km):
Do not tow a trailer.●
For the first 1000 miles (1600 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.

1572-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving 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.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal
using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, resulting in an acci-
dent.●
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.●
Do not let the vehicle roll backward while the shift lever is in a driving position, or
roll forward while the shift lever is in R.
Doing so may cause the engine to stall or lead to poor brake and steering perfor-
mance, resulting in an accident or damage to the vehicle. ●
If the smell of exhaust is noticed inside the vehicle, open the windows and check
that the back door 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 shift the shift lever to P while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.

1582-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION●
Do not shift the shift lever to R while the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.●
Do not shift the shift lever to D while the vehicle is moving backward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.●
Moving the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage the engine
from the transmission. Engine braking is not available when N is selected.●
During normal driving, do not turn off the engine. Turning the engine off while
driving will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to
these systems will be lost. This will make it more difficult to steer and brake, so you
should pull over and stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
However, in the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop
the vehicle in the normal way:  P. 8 0 4●
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. (  P. 171, 178)●
When stopped on an incline, use the brake pedal and parking brake to prevent
the vehicle from rolling backward or forward, causing an accident. ●
Do not adjust the position 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 passengers' arms, heads or other parts of their body are not
outside the vehicle, as this may result in death or serious injury.●
Do not drive in excess of the speed limit. Even if the legal speed limit permits it, do
not drive over 85 mph (140 km/h) unless your vehicle has high-speed capability
tires. Driving over 85 mph (140 km/h) may result in tire failure, loss of control and
possible injury. Be sure to consult a tire dealer to determine whether the tires on
your vehicle are high-speed capability tires or not before driving at such speeds.

1592-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving CAUTION■
When driving on slippery road surfaces ●
Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and reduce
your ability to control the vehi cle, resulting in an accident.●
Sudden acceleration, engine braking due to shift changing, or changes in engine
speed could cause the vehicle to skid, resulting in an accident.●
After driving through a pudd le, lightly depress the brak e 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 shifting the shift lever
Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed.
This may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of the vehicle that may cause an
accident and result in death or serious injury.■
If you hear a squealing or scraping no ise (brake pad wear limit indicators)
Have your Lexus dealer check and replac e the brake pads as soon as possible.
Rotor damage can result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads and/or
those of the brake discs are exceeded.

1632-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving CAUTION■
If the vehicle becomes stuck
Do not spin the wheels excessively when any of the tires is up in the air, or the vehi-
cle is stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may damage the driveline components or propel
the vehicle forward or backward, causing an accident.
NOTICE■
When driving the vehicle ●
Do not depress the accelerator and brake pe dals at the same time during driving,
as this may restrain driving torque.●
Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake pedals at
the same time to hold the vehicle on a hill.■
When parking the vehicle
Always shift the shift lever to P. Failure to do so may cause the vehicle to move or the
vehicle may accelerate suddenly if the accel erator pedal is accidentally depressed.■
Avoiding damage to vehicle parts ●
Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for an
extended period of time.
Doing so may damage the power steering motor.●
When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid damag-
ing the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc. ■
If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering wheel
firmly and gradually depress the brak e pedal to slow down the vehicle.●
It may be difficult to control your vehicle.
●
The vehicle will make abnormal sounds.
●
The vehicle will behave abnormally.
Information on what to do in case of a flat tire (  P. 7 74 )

1682-1. Driving procedures
■
If the engine does not start
The engine immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. (  P. 1 1 0 )
Contact your Lexus dealer.■
Steering lock
After turning the “ENGINE START STOP” switch off and opening and closing the
doors, the steering wheel will be locked due to the steering lock function. Operat-
ing the “ENGINE START STOP” switch again automatically cancels the steering
lock.■
When the steering lock cannot be released
■
Steering lock motor overheating prevention
To prevent the steering lock motor from overheating, the motor may be suspended
if the engine is turned on and off repeatedly in a short period of time. In this case,
refrain from operating the engine. After about 2 seconds, the steering lock motor
will resume functioning.■
When the “ENGINE START STOP” switch indicator flashes in amber
The system may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus
dealer immediately.■
If the electronic key battery is depleted
 P. 7 0 1 The green indicator light on the “ENGINE
START STOP” switch will flash and a mes-
sage will be shown on the multi-information
display. Press the “ENGINE START STOP”
switch again while turning the steering wheel
left and right.