LEXUS RX400H 2008 Owners Manual

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■If the cruise control indicator light flashes
Turn the ON-OFF button off once, and then reactivate the system.
If the cruise control speed cannot be set or if the cruise control cancels immediately
after being activated, there may be a malfunction in the cruise control system. Have
the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
CAUTION
■To avoid operating the cruise control by mistake
Keep the ON-OFF button off when not in use.
■Situations unsuitable for cruise control
Do not use cruise control in any of the following situations.
Doing so may result in control of the vehicle being lost and could cause serious or
fatal accident.
●In heavy traffic
●On roads with sharp bends
●On slippery roads, such as those covered with rain, ice or snow
●On steep hills
●On winding roads

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Dynamic laser cruise control (if equipped)
Dynamic laser cruise control supplements conventional cruise control
with a vehicle-to-vehicle distance co ntrol. In the vehicle-to-vehicle dis-
tance control mode, the vehicle automatically accelerates or decelerates
in order to maintain a set following distance from vehicles ahead.
■ Select cruise mode
Selecting vehicle-to-vehicle dis-
tance control modeTurn the ON-OFF button
ON.
Push the button once more to
deactivate.
Selecting conventional con-
stant speed control mode Turn the ON-OFF button
ON.
Push the button once more to
deactivate.
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance con-
trol mode is always reset when
the engine switch is turned to
the ON position.
Switch to constant speed
control mode.
(push and hold for approxi-
mately one second)

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■Driving in the selected cruise control mode
Accelerate or decelerate to the
desired speed and press the
lever down to set.
■ Adjusting the speed setting
Increase speed
Decrease speed
Hold the lever until the desired
speed setting is displayed.
■Canceling and resuming the speed setting
Cancel
Push the lever towards you to
cancel cruise control.
The setting is also canceled
when the brakes are applied.
Resume
To resume cruise control and
return to the set speed, push the
lever up.

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■Changing the vehicle- to-vehicle distance
Each push of the switch toward
you changes the vehicle-to-
vehicle distance
Long
Medium
Short
The vehicle-to-vehicle distance
is automatically set to the long
mode when the engine switch is
turned to the ON position.
A mark will be displayed to indi-
cate the presence of the vehicle
if a vehicle is running ahead of
you.
Preceding
vehicle mark

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Driving in vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode
This mode employs a laser radar sensor to detect the presence of vehi-
cles within 400 ft. (120 m) ahead and to judge the distance between your
vehicle and those vehicles.
Note that vehicle-to-vehicle distance will close when traveling on long
downhill slopes.
Example of constant speed cruising (when there are no vehicles
ahead):
When set to 62 mph (100 km/h)
The vehicle travels at the speed set by the driver. The desired vehicle-to-vehi-
cle distance can also be set by operating the vehicle-to-vehicle distance
switch.
Example of deceleration cruising (when the vehicle ahead is driving
slower than the set speed):
When fixed speed cruising is set at 62 mph (100 km/h) and the vehicle
ahead is driving at 50 mph (80 km/h)
When a vehicle is detected running ahead of you, in the same lane, the sys-
tem automatically decelerates your vehicle. When a greater reduction in
vehicle speed is necessary, the system applies the brakes. A warning tone
warns you when the system cannot decelerate sufficiently to prevent your
vehicle from closing on the vehicle ahead.

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RX400h_UExample of follow-up cruising (when following a vehicle driving slower
than the set speed):
When the speed is set to 62 mph (100 km/h) and the vehicle ahead is
driving at 50 mph (80 km/h)
The system continues follow-up cruising while adjusting for changes in the
speed of the vehicle ahead in order to maintain the vehicle-to-vehicle dis-
tance set by the driver.
Example of acceleration (when there are no longer vehicles driving
slower than the set speed in the lane ahead):
When the speed is set to 62 mph (100 km/h) and the vehicle ahead
driving at 50 mph (80 km/h) is out of the lane
When the vehicle ahead of you executes a lane change, the system slowly
accelerates until the set vehicle speed is reached. The system then returns to
fixed speed cruising.
■Fine adjustment of the set speed
Adjustment of the set speed by the following speed can be made by lightly pressing
the lever up or down and releasing it.
In the constant speed control mode: Approximately 1.0 mph (1.6 km/h)
In the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode: U.S.A.: Approximately 5 mph (8 km/h)
Canada: Approximately 3 mph (5 km/h)
■Dynamic laser cruise control warning lights, display and buzzers
Warning lights, display and buzzers are used to indicate a system malfunction or to
alert you to the need for caution while driving. ( →P. 3 9 8 )
■The dynamic laser cruise can be set when
●The shift lever is in D.
●Vehicle speed is between approximately 27 mph (45 km/h) and 85 mph (135
km/h).
■Accelerating
The vehicle can be accelerated normally.

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■Automatically canceling vehicle-to-vehicle distance control
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance control driving is automatically canceled in the follow-
ing situations.
●Vehicle speed falls below 25 mph (40 km/h)
●VSC is activated
●The sensor cannot operate correctly because it is covered in some way.*
●The windshield wipers are operating at high or low speed.*
*
: Vehicle-to-vehicle distance control driving must be reset by turning the ON-OFF button on again.
If vehicle-to-vehicle distance control driving is automatically canceled for any other
reason, there may be a malfunction in the system. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Automatically cancelling constant speed control
The set speed is automatically canceled in the following situations.
●Actual vehicle speed is more than 10 mph (16 km/h) below the preset vehicle
speed
At this time, the memorized set speed is not retained.
●Vehicle speed falls below 25 mph (40 km/h)
●VSC is activated

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■Vehicle-to-vehicle distance settings
Select a distance from the table below. Note that the distances shown correspond
to a vehicle speed of 55 mph (88 km/h). Vehicle-to-vehicle distance increases/
decreases in accordance with vehicle speed.
■Laser radar sensor
■Certification
Distance optionsVehicle-to-vehicle distance
LongApproximately 245 ft. (75 m)
MediumApproximately 165 ft. (50 m)
ShortApproximately 100 ft. (30 m)
Always keep the sensor clean to ensure that
the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control oper-
ates properly. (Some obstructions, such as
snow, ice or plastic objects, cannot be
detected by the obstruction sensor.)
Dynamic laser cruise control is canceled if an
obstruction is detected.
This product is a class I laser product complied with 21 C. F. R part 1040. 10. and
1040. 11.

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CAUTION
■Before using dynamic laser cruise control
Do not overly rely on vehicle-to-vehicle distance control.
Be aware of the set vehicle speed. If automatic deceleration/acceleration is not
appropriate, adjust the vehicle speed, as well as the distance between your vehicle
and vehicles ahead by applying the brakes, etc.
■To avoid inadvertent cruise control activation
Keep the ON-OFF button off when not in use.
■Situations unsuitable for dynamic laser cruise control
Do not use dynamic laser cruise control in any of the following situations.
Doing so may result in inappropriate control of speed and could cause serious or
fatal accident.
●In heavy traffic
●On roads with sharp bends
●On winding roads
●On slippery roads, such as those covered with rain, ice or snow
●Where there are sudden changes between sharp up and down gradients
●At entrances to expressways
●When weather conditions are bad enough that they may prevent the sensors
from functioning correctly (fog, snow, sandstorm, etc.)
●When buzzer can be heard often

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CAUTION
■When the laser radar sensor may not be correctly detecting the vehicle ahead
Apply the brakes as necessary when any of the following types of vehicles are in
front of you.
As the sensor may not be able to correctly detect these types of vehicles, the prox-
imity alarm (→P. 164) will not be activated, and an accident may result.
●Vehicles that cut in suddenly
●Vehicles traveling at low speeds
●Vehicles that are not moving
●Vehicles with small rear ends (trailers with no load on board etc.)
●Motorcycles traveling in the same lane
■Conditions under which the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control may not function
correctly
Apply the brakes as necessary in the following conditions as the laser radar sensor
may not be able to correctly detect vehicles ahead, and an accident may result.
●When water or snow thrown up by the surrounding vehicles hinders the function-
ing of the sensor
●When your vehicle is pointing upwards (caused by a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, etc.)
●When the road curves or when the lanes are narrow
●When steering wheel operation or your position in the lane is unstable
■To ensure the laser radar sensor functions correctly
Do not do the following to the sensor as doing so may cause the sensor not to func-
tion correctly and could result in an accident.
●Stick or attach anything to them
●Leave them dirty
●Disassemble, subject them to strong shocks
●Modify or paint them
●Replace them with non-genuine parts