steering LEXUS RX350 2020 Repair Manual

3596-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steering wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the cor-
rect amount of free
play?
•There should not be any strange sounds
coming from the
steering wheel.
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors oper-ate smoothly?
Engine hood
•Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks
•There should not be any signs of fluid
leakage after the
vehicle has been
parked.
ItemsCheck points
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or
excessively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to
the maintenance
schedule?
•The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wip-
ers/rear window
wiper
• The wiper blades should not show any
signs of cracking,
splitting, wear, con-
tamination or defor-
mation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield/rear win-
dow without streak-
ing or skipping.
ItemsCheck points

3956-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■RearBack-up light (bulb type)
Rear turn signal light (bulb type)
■Replacing the following bulbs
If any of the lights listed below has
burnt out, have it replaced by your
Lexus dealer.
 Headlight
 Parking lights and daytime running
lights
 Front turn signal lights (vehicles
without single-beam headlights)
 Front side marker lights (vehicles
without single-beam headlights)
 Front fog lights (if equipped)
 Cornering lights (if equipped)
 Side turn signal lights
 Stop/tail lights
 Back-up lights (LED type) 
Rear turn signal light (LED type)
 Rear side marker lights
 High mounted stoplight
 License plate lights
 Outer foot lights
■LED Lights
The lights other than the front turn signal
lights (vehicles with single-beam head-
lights), front side marker lights (vehicles
with single-beam headlig hts), rear turn sig-
nal lights (bulb type) and back-up lights
(bulb type) each consist of a number of
LEDs. If any of the LEDs burn out, take your
vehicle to your Lexus dealer to have the
light replaced.
■Condensation build-up on the inside of
the lens
Temporary condensation build-up on the
inside of the headlight lens does not indi-
cate a malfunction. Contact your Lexus
dealer for more information in the following
situations:
●Large drops of water have built up on the
inside of the lens.
●Water has built up inside the headlight.
■When replacing light bulbs
 P.392
■Front side marker lights (vehicles
with single-beam headlights)
1 To ensure enough space to per-
form work, turn the steering wheel
to rotate the front wheel away from
the bulb to be replaced.
Remove the 3 fender liner clips.
Turn the steering wheel to the left when
replacing the right side light bulb, and turn
the steering wheel to the right when
replacing the left side light bulb.
When removing a fender liner clip, use a
A
B
Replacing light bulbs

4057-1. Essential information
7
When trouble arises
seconds or more, or press it briefly
3 times or more in succession.
5 Stop the vehicle in a safe place by
the road. 
Remove the seat belt first.
 If the door can be opened, open the
door and exit the vehicle.
 If the door can not be opened, open
the window using the power window
switch and exit the vehicle through
the window.
 If the window can not be opened
using the power window switch,
remain calm, wait until the water
level inside the vehicle rises to the
point that the water pressure inside
of the vehicle equals the water pres-
sure outside of the vehicle, and then
open the door and exit the vehicle.
WARNING
■If the engine has to be turned off while
driving
Power assist for the brakes and steering
wheel will be lost, making the brake
pedal harder to depress and the steering
wheel heavier to turn. Decelerate as
much as possible before turning off the
engine.
If the vehicle is trapped in
rising water
In the event the vehicle is sub-
merged in water, remain calm and
perform the following.
WARNING
■Using an emergency hammer* for
emergency escape
The rear side windows and rear window
of this vehicle can be shattered by an
emergency hammer
* used for emer-
gency escape, however, since the wind-
shield and front side windows are
laminated glass they can not be shattered
by an emergency hammer
*.
*: Contact your Lexus dealer or after-
market accessory manufacturer for
further information about an emer-
gency hammer.

4087-2. Steps to take in an emergency
The following may indicate a problem
with your transmission. Contact your
Lexus dealer or commercial towing
service before towing.
The engine is running but the vehi-
cle does not move.
 The vehicle makes an abnormal
sound.
Do not tow with a sling-type truck to
prevent body damage.
WARNING
●Do not turn the engine switch off.
There is a possibility that the steering
wheel is locked and cannot be oper-
ated.
■Installing towing eyelets to the vehi-
cle
Make sure that towing eyelets are
installed securely.
If not securely installed, towing eyelets
may come loose during towing.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the vehicle
when towing using a wheel-lift type
truck
●Do not tow the vehicle from the rear
when the engine switch is off. The
steering lock mechanism is not strong
enough to hold the front wheels
straight.
●When raising the vehicle, ensure ade-
quate ground clearance for towing at
the opposite end of the raised vehicle.
Without adequate clearance, the vehi-
cle could be damaged while being
towed.
■To prevent damage to the vehicle
when towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck, either
from the front or rear.
■To prevent damage to the vehicle
during emergency towing
Do not secure cables or chains to the
suspension components.
■Recreational towing (behind motor
home, etc)
Never dinghy tow your vehicle to pre-
vent causing serious damage to the
Dynamic Torque Control AWD system
(AWD models) and transmission.
(  P.175)
Situations when it is necessary to
contact dealers before towing
Towing with a sling-type truck

4107-2. Steps to take in an emergency
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer
and operate the brakes. The vehicle’s
wheels, drive train, axles, steering and
brakes must be in good condition.
To have your vehicle towed by another
vehicle, the towing eyelet must be
installed to your vehicle. Install the tow-
ing eyelet using the following proce-
dure.
1 Take out the towing eyelet.
(P.427)
2 Remove the eyelet cover.
Except F SPORT models
F SPORT models 3
Insert the towing eyelet into the
hole and tighten partially by hand.
4 Tighten down the towing eyelet
securely using a wheel nut wrench
or hard metal bar.
5 Securely attach cables or chains to
the towing eyelet.
Take care not to damage the vehicle body.
6Enter the vehicle being towed and
start the engine.
If the engine does not start, turn the engine
switch to IGNITION ON mode.
7Shift the shift lever to N and release
the parking brake.
When the shift lever cannot be shifted:
P.181
■While towing
If the engine is not running, the power assist
for the brakes and steering will not function,
making steering and braking more difficult.
■Wheel nut wrench
Wheel nut wrench is installed in luggage
Emergency towing procedure
(vehicles with towing eyelets)

4157-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
■ABS warning light
■Brake Override System warning light/Drive-Start Control warning light*
(warning buzzer)
*: This light illuminates on the multi-information display.
■Electric power steering system warning light (warning buzzer)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(U.S.A.)
or
(Canada)
Indicates a malfunction in:
 The ABS; or
 The brake assist system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
When a buzzer sounds:
Brake Override System is malfunctioning;
 Drive-Start Control is operating;
 Drive-Start Control is malfunctioning; or
 PKSB (Parking Support Brake) (if equipped) is operating
 Follow the instructions displayed on the multi-information display.
When a buzzer does not sound:
Brake Override System is operating
 Release the accelerator pedal and depress the brake pedal.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(red)
or
(yellow)
Indicates a malfunction in the EPS (Electric Power Steering) system
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.

4207-2. Steps to take in an emergency
The light will go off after several driving
trips.
If the light does not go off even after several
trips, contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible.
■Electric power steering system warning
light (warning buzzer)
When the battery charge becomes insuffi-
cient or the voltage temporarily drops, the
electric power steeri ng system warning
light may come on and the warning buzzer
may sound.
■When the tire pressure warning light
comes on
Inspect the tires to check if a tire is punc-
tured.
If a tire is punctured: P.426
If none of the tires are punctured:
Turn the engine switch off then turn it to
IGNITION ON mode. Check if the tire
pressure warning light comes on or blinks.
If the tire pressure wa rning light blinks for
1 minute then stays on
There may be a malfunction in the tire
pressure warning syst em. Have the vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer immedi-
ately.
If the tire pressure warning light comes
on
1 After the temperature of the tires has
lowered sufficiently, check the inflation
pressure of each tire and adjust them to
the specified level.
2 If the warning light does not turn off
even after several minutes have
elapsed, check that the inflation pres-
sure of each tire is at the specified level
and perform initialization. ( P.381)
If the warning light does not turn off several
minutes after the initia lization has been per-
formed, have the vehicle inspected by your
Lexus dealer immediately.
■The tire pressure warning light may
come on due to natural causes
The tire pressure wa rning light may come
on due to natural causes such as natural air
leaks and tire inflation pressure changes
caused by temperature. In this case, adjust-ing the tire inflation pressure will turn off the
warning light (after a few minutes).
■When a tire is replaced with a spare tire
The compact spare tire is not equipped with
a tire pressure warning valve and transmit-
ter. If a tire goes flat , the tire pressure warn-
ing light will not turn off even though the flat
tire has been replaced with the spare tire.
Replace the spare tire with the repaired tire
and adjust the tire inflation pressure. The
tire pressure warning light will go off after a
few minutes.
■Conditions that the tire pressure warn-
ing system may not function properly
 P.374
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.470)
WARNING
■If both the ABS and the brake system
warning lights remain on
Stop your vehicle in a safe place immedi-
ately and contact your Lexus dealer.
The vehicle will become extremely
unstable during br aking, and the ABS
system may fail, which could cause an
accident resulting in death or serious
injury.
■When the electric power steering
system warning light comes on
When the light comes on yellow, the
assist to the power st eering is restricted.
When the light comes on red, the assist
to the power steering is lost and handling
operations of the steering wheel become
extremely heavy.
When steering wheel operations are
heavier than usual, grip the steering
wheel firmly and operate it using more
force than usual.

4217-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
WARNING
■If the tire pressure warning light
comes on
Be sure to observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so could cause a loss of
vehicle control and result in death or
serious injury.
●Stop your vehicle in a safe place as
soon as possible. Adjust the tire infla-
tion pressure immediately.
●If the tire pressure warning light comes
on even after tire inflation pressure
adjustment, it is probable that you have
a flat tire. Check the tires. If a tire is flat,
change it with the spare tire and have
the flat tire repaired by the nearest
Lexus dealer.
●Avoid abrupt maneuvering and brak-
ing.
If the vehicle tires deteriorate, you
could lose control of the steering
wheel or the brakes.
■If a blowout or sudden air leakage
should occur
The tire pressure warning system may
not activate immediately.
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthly when
cold and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label (tire and load
information label). (I f your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indi-
cated on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label [tire and load
information label], yo u should determine
the proper tire infl ation pressure for
those tires.)
As an added safety fe ature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS-tire pressure
warning system) that illuminates a low
tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warn-
ing light) when one or more of your tires
is significantly under-inflated. Accord-
ingly, when the low ti re pressure telltale
(tire pressure warning light) illuminates,
you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire
to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel effi-
ciency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping abil-
ity.
Please note that the TPMS (tire pressure
warning system) is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the
driver’s responsibility to maintain correct
tire pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger illumina-
tion of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale
(tire pressure warning light).
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction indicator to indicate when
the system is not operating properly. The
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure telltale (tire pres-
sure warning light) . When the system
detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and
then remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon subse-
quent vehicle start-ups as long as the
malfunction exists. When the malfunction
indicator is illuminated, the system may
not be able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.

4367-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7Confirm it is not loose after tighten-
ing:
1 Push and pull the tire
2 Try rotating
Visually check to ensure tire is not hung on
surrounding parts.
If looseness or misassembly exists, repeat
steps 2 to 7.
8 Repeat step 7, any time the tire is
lowered or disturbed.
9 Stow the jack and all tools.
■The compact spare tire
●The compact spare tire is identified by the
label “TEMPORARY USE ONLY” on
the tire sidewall. Use the compact spare
tire temporarily, and only in an emer-
gency.
●Make sure to check the tire inflation pres-
sure of the compact spare tire. ( P.457)
■When using the compact spare tire
As the compact spare tire is not equipped
with a tire pressure warning valve and trans-
mitter, low inflation pressure of the spare
tire will not be indicated by the tire pressure
warning system. Also, if you replace the
compact spare tire after the tire pressure
warning light comes on, the light remains
on.
■When the compact spare tire is
equipped
When driving with the compact spare tire
installed, the vehicle he ight will be different
than when driving with standard tires.
■If you have a flat front tire on a road cov-
ered with snow or ice
Install the compact spare tire on one of the
rear wheels of the vehicle. Perform the fol-
lowing steps and fit tire chains to the front
tires:
1 Replace a rear tire with the compact
spare tire.
2 Replace the flat front tire with the tire
removed from the rear of the vehicle.
3 Fit tire chains to the front tires.
WARNING
■When using the compact spare tire
●Remember that the compact spare tire
provided is specific ally designed for
use with your vehicle. Do not use your
compact spare tire on another vehicle.
●Do not use more than one compact
spare tire simultaneously.
●Replace the compact spare tire with a
standard tire as soon as possible.
●Avoid sudden acceleration, abrupt
steering, sudden br aking and shifting
operations that cause sudden engine
braking.
■When the compact spare tire is
attached
The vehicle speed may not be correctly
detected, and the following systems may
not operate correctly:
• ABS & Brake assist
•VSC
•TRAC
• Trailer Sway Control
•EPS
•VDIM (if equipped)
• Adaptive Variable Suspension System (if equipped)
• Dynamic radar cruise control with full-speed range

4397-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
The engine starting system may be
malfunctioning due to an electrical
problem such as electronic key battery
depletion or a blown fuse. However, an
interim measure is available to start the
engine. (P.439)
One of the following may be the cause
of the problem:
 One or both of the battery terminals
may be disconnected. ( P.369)
 The battery may be discharged.
( P.443)
 There may be a malfunction in the
steering lock system.
Contact your Lexus dealer if the problem
cannot be repaired, or if repair procedures
are unknown.
When the engine does not start, the
following steps can be used as an
interim measure to start the engine if
the engine switch is functioning nor-
mally.
Do not use this starting procedure
except in cases of emergency.
1 Turn the engine switch to IGNI-
TION ON mode and check that the parking brake is set. (
P.179,
185)
2 Shift the shift lever to P.
3 Turn the engine switch to ACCES-
SORY mode.
4 Press and hold the engine switch
for about 15 seconds while
depressing the brake pedal firmly.
Even if the engine can be started using
the above steps, the system may be
malfunctioning. Have the vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer.
The starter motor does not turn
over
The starter motor does not turn
over, the interior lights and head-
lights do not turn on, or the horn
does not sound.
Starting the engine in an emer-
gency