transmission LEXUS RX350 2015 Owners Manual

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32-1. Driving procedures
Driving the vehicle ........................ 154
Engine (ignition) switch .............. 165
Automatic transmission
(6-speed models) ........................ 171
Automatic transmission
(8-speed models) ...................... 178
Turn signal lever ............................ 187
Parking brake ................................. 189
Horn.................................................... 190
2-2. Instrument cluster
Gauges and meters ....................... 191
Indicators and warning
lights................................................. 194
Multi-information display......... 200
Head-up display ........................... 206
2-3. Operating the lights and
windshield wipers
Headlight switch .............................. 211
Fog light switch .............................. 215
Windshield wipers and
washer.............................................. 217
Rear window wiper and
washer............................................ 224
Headlight cleaner switch .......... 226 2-4. Using other driving systems
Cruise control ............................... 227
Dynamic radar cruise
control............................................ 232
Intuitive parking assist ................ 245
Rear view monitor system
(rear view mirror-attached
type) ................................................ 255
Rear view monitor system
(vehicles with the Lexus
Display Audio system) ............ 264
Driving assist systems................. 269
All-wheel drive lock switch ...... 275
Hill-start assist control ............... 276
Pre-Collision System.................. 278
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) ....... 286
2-5. Driving information
Utility vehicle pre cautions ........ 292
Cargo and luggage ..................... 296
Vehicle load limits ......................... 301
Winter driving tips ....................... 302
Trailer towing ................................ 306
Dinghy towing ............................... 3232
When driving

When driving
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1532-1. Driving procedures
Driving the vehicle.................. 154
Engine (ignition) switch ......... 165
Automatic transmission
(6-speed models) .................. 171
Automatic transmission
(8-speed models) ................. 178
Turn signal lever ....................... 187
Parking brake ........................... 189
Horn ............................................ 190
2-2. Instrument cluster
Gauges and meters ................. 191
Indicators and warning
lights ......................................... 194
Multi-information
display .................................... 200
Head-up display ..................... 206
2-3. Operating the lights and
windshield wipers
Headlight switch....................... 211
Fog light switch ........................ 215
Windshield wipers and
washer ..................................... 217
Rear window wiper and
washer .................................... 224
Headlight cleaner switch..... 226 2-4. Using other driving
systems
Cruise control......................... 227
Dynamic radar cruise
control .................................... 232
Intuitive parking assist .......... 245
Rear view monitor system
(rear view mirror-attached
type) ........................................ 255
Rear view monitor system
(vehicles with the Lexus
Display Audio system) ....... 264
Driving assist systems ........... 269
All-wheel drive lock
switch ....................................... 275
Hill-start assist control .......... 276
Pre-Collision System ............ 278
BSM
(Blind Spot Monitor) .......... 286
2-5. Driving information
Utility vehicle
precautions ........................... 292
Cargo and luggage ............... 296
Vehicle load limits ................... 301
Winter driving tips ................. 302
Trailer towing .......................... 306
Dinghy towing ......................... 323

1572-1. Driving procedures
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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.

1712-1. Driving procedures
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When driving Automatic transmission (6-speed models) Select a shift position appropriate for the driving conditions.
■ Shifting the shift lever
While the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in IGNITION
ON mode, depress the brake pedal and move the shift lever. When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that the
vehicle is completely stopped.

1762-1. Driving procedures
■
When the “-” paddle shift switch is operated in the D position (vehicles with pad-
dle shift switches)
When the “-” paddle shift switch is operat ed in the D position, a shift range will be
automatically selected. The highest gear of the first shift range will be one gear
lower than the gear in use during normal D position driving.■
Automatic deactivation of shift range selection in the D position (vehicles with
paddle shift switches)
Shift range selection in the D position will be deactivated in the following situations: ●
When the vehicle comes to a stop●
When range 6 is selected and the accelerator pedal is depressed●
If the accelerator pedal is depressed for more than a certain period of time■
Snow mode automatic deactivation
Snow mode is automatically deactivated if the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is
turned off after driving in snow mode. ■
S mode ●
When the shift range is “5” or lower, holding the shift lever toward “+” sets the
shift range to “6”.●
To prevent the engine from over-revving, upshifting may automatically occur.●
To protect the automatic transmission, a function is adopted that automatically
selects a higher shift range when the fluid temperature is high.■
AI-SHIFT
AI-SHIFT automatically selects the suitable gear according to driver performance
and driving conditions.
The AI-SHIFT automatically operates when th e shift lever is in the D position. (Shift-
ing the shift lever to the S position cancels the function.)

1772-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■
When driving with cruise control or radar cruise control activated
Even when performing the following acti ons with the intent of enabling engine
braking, engine braking will not activate while driving in S mode and downshifting
to 5 or 4 because cruise control or radar cruise control will not be canceled.
(  P. 227, 232)■
If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
 P. 7 9 1■
If S does not come on or D comes on even after shifting the shift lever to S
This may indicate a malfunction in the automatic transmission system. Have the
vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
(In this situation, the transmission will operate in the same as manner as when the
shift lever is in D.)■
Downshift restriction warning buzzer (S mode)
To help ensure safety and driving perfor mance, downshifting operation may some-
times be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be possible even
when the shift lever or paddle shift switch is operated. (The warning buzzer will
sound twice.)
CAUTION■
When driving on slippery road surfaces
Be careful of downshifting and sudden accele ration, as this could result in the vehi-
cle skidding to the side or spinning.

1782-1. Driving procedures
Automatic transmission (8-speed models) Select a shift position appropriate for the driving conditions.
■ Shifting the shift lever
While the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in IGNITION
ON mode, depress the brake pedal and move the shift lever. When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that the
vehicle is completely stopped.
■ Shift position purpose
* : To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noises, set the shift lever in the D
position for normal driving. Shift position Function
P Parking the vehicle/starting the engine
R Reversing
N Neutral
D Normal driving
*M M mode driving (  P. 1 8 3 )

1832-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving Selecting gears in the M position
To enter M mode, shift the shift lever to the M position. Gears can then be
selected by operating the shift lever or paddle shift switches, allowing you
to drive in the gear of your choosing.
Upshifting
Downshifting
The gear changes once every time
the shift lever or paddle shift switch
is operated.
When in the M position, the gear will not change unless the shift lever or
paddle shift switches are operated.
However, even when in the M positio n, the gears will be automatically
changed in the following situations:
● When vehicle speed drops (downshift only).
● When the automatic transmission flu id or engine coolant temperature
is low.
● When engine speed is higher than necessary. (upshift only)

1852-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■
Downshift restrictions warning buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving perfor mance, downshifting operation may some-
times be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be possible even
when the shift lever or paddle shift switch is operated. (A buzzer will sound twice.)■
When driving with cruise control activated
Even when performing the following acti ons with the intent of enabling engine
braking, engine braking will not activate while driving in M mode and downshifting
to 7, 6, 5 or 4 because cruise control will not be canceled. (  P. 2 2 7 )■
Automatic deactivation of snow mode
If the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is turn ed off after driving in snow mode, the
mode is automatically deactivated.■
If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
 P. 7 9 1■
Automatic gear selection when the vehicle is stopped
When the vehicle comes to a stop, the tran smission will automatically downshift to
allow you to start off in 1 st
gear.■
If the automatic transmissi on fluid temperature warn ing message is displayed
If the automatic transmission fluid tempera-
ture warning message is displayed while
driving, make sure you return to normal D
position driving and reduce speed by eas-
ing off the accelerator pedal. Stop the vehi-
cle in a safe place, shift the shift lever to the
P position and let the engine idle until the
warning message goes out.
When the warning message goes out, the
vehicle can be driven again.
If the warning message does not go out
after waiting a while, have your vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer.