stop start LEXUS RX400H 2008 User Guide

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2-4. Using other driving systems
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When driving
RX400h_U
Driving assist systems
To help enhance driving safety and performance, the following systems
operate automatically in response to various driving situations. Be aware,
however, that these systems are supplementary and should not be relied
upon too heavily when operating the vehicle.
■ ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Helps to prevent wheel lock when the brakes are applied suddenly, or if
the brakes are applied while driving on a slippery road surface.
■Brake assist
Generates an increased level of braking force after the brake pedal is
depressed, when the system detects a panic stop situation.
■VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
Helps the driver to control skidding when swerving suddenly or turning on
slippery road surfaces.
■Traction Control
Maintains drive power and prevents the front wheels (2WD models) or all
wheels (AWD models) from spinning wh en starting the vehicle or acceler-
ating on slippery roads.
■ EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce the amount of effort needed to turn
the steering wheel.
■VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management)
Provides integrated control of the ABS, brake assist, VSC, traction control
and EPS systems.
Maintains vehicle stability when swerving on slippery road surfaces by
controlling the brakes, engine output, and the movement of the front
wheels.

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2-4. Using other driving systems
RX400h_U
When the VSC/traction control are operatingIf the vehicle is in danger of slip-
ping, or if the front wheels (2WD
models) or all wheels (AWD mod-
els) spin, the slip indicator light
flashes to indicate that the VSC/
traction control have been
engaged.
A buzzer (intermittent) sounds to
indicate that VSC is operating.
■Sounds and vibrations caused by the ABS, brake assist, VSC and traction control
●A sound may be heard from the engine compartment when the hybrid system is
started or just after the vehicle begins to move. This sound does not indicate that
a malfunction has occurred in any of these systems.
●Any of the following conditions may occur when the above systems are operat-
ing. None of these indicates that a malfunction has occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard after the vehicle comes to a stop.
• The brake pedal may pulsate slightly after the ABS is activated.
• The brake pedal may move down slightly after the ABS is activated.
■Reduced effectiveness of EPS
The effectiveness of EPS is reduced to prevent the system from overheating when
there is frequent steering input over an extended period of time. The steering wheel
may feel heavy as a result. Should this occur, refrain from excessive steering input or
stop the vehicle and turn the hybrid system OFF. The system should return to nor-
mal within 10 minutes.

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2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
RX400h_U
Trailer towing tipsYour vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. The 3 main
causes of vehicle-trailer accidents are driver error, excessive speed and
improper trailer loading. Keep the following in mind when towing.
● Before starting out, check the trailer lights and the vehicle-trailer con-
nections. Recheck after driving a short distance.
● Practice turning, stopping and rever sing with the trailer attached in an
area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the feel of the
vehicle.
● Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and requires practice. Grip
the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the left to
move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to move the
trailer to right. (This is generally opposite to reversing without a trailer
attached.) Avoid sharp or prolon ged turning. Have someone guide
you when reversing to reduce the risk of an accident.
● As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to-
vehicle distance should be increased. For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and trailer length.
NOTICE
■Safety chain
A safety chain must always be used between the towing vehicle and the trailer.
Leave sufficient slack in the chain for turns. The chain should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent the tongue from dropping to the ground in the case that it
becomes damaged or separated. For the correct safety chain installation proce-
dure, ask your Lexus dealer.
■Do not directly splice trailer lights
Directly splicing trailer lights may damage your vehicle's electrical system and
cause a malfunction.

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2-5. Driving information
RX400h_U●
Avoid sudden braking as you may sk id, resulting in jackknifing and loss
of control. This is especially true on wet or slippery surfaces.
● Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
● Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before making
turns.
● Note that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer than the
vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. Compensate by making a
larger than normal turning radius.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely affect handling of your
vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Periodically check the rear to prepare
for being passed by large trucks or buses, which may cause your vehi-
cle and trailer to sway. If swaying occurs, firmly grip the steering wheel,
reduce speed immediately but gradually, and steer straight ahead.
Never increase speed. If you make no extreme correction with the
steering or brakes, your vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
● Take care when passing other vehicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget the length of your
trailer, and be sure you have plenty of room before changing lanes.
● Due to the added load of the trailer, your vehicle's hybrid system may
overheat on hot days (at temperatures over 85°F [30°C]) when driv-
ing up a long or steep grade. If the coolant temperature gauge indi-
cates overheating, immediately turn off the air conditioning (if in use),
pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot. ( →P. 4 2 4 )

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2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
RX400h_U●
Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and the trailer
wheels when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly, and put the
transmission in P. Avoid parking on a slope, but if unavoidable, do so
only after performing the following:
Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and
trailer wheels.
When the wheel blocks are in place, release the brakes slowly
until the blocks absorb the load.
Apply the parking brake firmly.
Shift into P and turn off the hybrid system.
● When restarting after parking on a slope:
With the transmission in the P position, start the hybrid system. Be
sure to keep the brake pedal pressed.
Shift into D or the R position (if reversing).
Release the parking brake and brake pedal, and slowly pull or
back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.
CAUTION
■To avoid an accident
●Do not exceed 45 mph (72 km/h) or the posted towing speed limit, whichever is
lower. As instability (swaying) of the towing vehicle-trailer combination increases
as speed increases, exceeding 45 mph (72 km/h) may cause loss of control.
●Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill grades. Do
not make sudden downshifts.
●Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the brakes too fre-
quently.
This could cause the brakes to overheat and result in reduced braking efficiency.
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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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Maintenance and care
RX400h_U
CAUTION
■When raising your vehicle:
Make sure to observe the following to reduce the possibility of death or serious
injury.
●Do not use the jack that was supplied with your vehicle.
●Do not put any part of your body or get underneath the vehicle supported only by
the floor jack.
Always use automotive jack stands on a solid, level, surface.
●Do not start the hybrid system while the vehicle is supported by the floor jack.
●Stop the vehicle on level firm ground, firmly set the parking brake and put the shift
lever in P.
●Make sure to set the floor jack properly at the jack point.
Raising the vehicle with an improperly positioned floor jack will damage the vehi-
cle and may cause the vehicle to fall off the floor jack.
●Do not raise the vehicle while someone is in the vehicle.
●When raising the vehicle, do not place any objects on top of or underneath the
floor jack.
●Lift up the vehicle using a floor jack such as
the one shown in the illustration.

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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
RX400h_U■
Driver’s side instrument panel
FuseAmpereCircuit
47RR DOOR RH20Rear right side power window
48RR DOOR LH20Rear left side power window
49FUEL OPN7. 5Fuel filler door opener
50FR FOG15Front fog lights
51OBD7. 5On-board diagnosis system
52FR DEF25Windshield wiper de-icer and all com-
ponents in “MIR HTR” fuses
53STOP10
Tail lights, high mounted stoplight,
vehicle dynamics integrated manage-
ment, shift lock control system,
multiport fuel injection system/
sequential multiport fuel injection sys-
tem
54TI&TE30Tilt and telescopic steering
55MPX-B7. 5Engine immobilizer system
56AM1 7. 5Starter system

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5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RX400h_U
CAUTION
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label (tire and load information label).
(If your vehicle has tires of a different size than the size indicated on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label [tire and load information label], you should
determine the proper tire inflation pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, 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 warning light) when one or more of your tires is sig-
nificantly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale (tire pres-
sure warning light) illuminates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle's handling
and stopping ability.
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 illumination 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 pressure 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 subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists. When the malfunction indicator is illumi-
nated, the system may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended.
TPMS (tire pressure warning system) malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea-
sons, including the installation of replacement or alternate tires or wheels on the
vehicle that prevent the TPMS (tire pressure warning system) from functioning
properly. Always check the TPMS (tire pressure warning system) malfunction tell-
tale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS (tire pressure warning
system) to continue to function properly.

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5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RX400h_U
If your vehicle overheats
■Electric motor (traction motor) and inverter
If the message WATER TEMP is displayed on the multi-information
display.
■ Gasoline engine
If the needle of the engine coolant temperature gauge enters the
red zone, the gasoline engine has probably overheated.
Observe the following steps:
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and turn off the automatic air
conditioning system.
Check to see if steam is coming out from under the hood.
If you see steam: Stop the hybrid system. Carefully lift the hood after the
steam subsides and then restart the hybrid system.
If you do not see steam: Leave the hybrid system running and carefully lift the hood.
Check to see if the cooling fan is operating.
If the fan is operating: Wait until the temperature of the engine (shown on the
instrument cluste r) begins to fall and then stop the hybrid
system.
If the fan is not operating: Stop the hybrid system immediately and call your local
Lexus dealer.
After the hybrid system has
cooled down sufficiently, check
the engine coolant level and
inspect the radiator core (radia-
tor) for any leaks.
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5
When trouble arises
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5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RX400h_U
If the vehicle becomes stuck
CAUTION
■When attempting to free a stuck vehicle
If you choose to rock the vehicle back and forth to free it, make sure the surround-
ing area is clear, to avoid striking other vehicles, objects or persons. The vehicle
may also lunge forward or lunge back suddenly as it becomes free. Use extreme
caution.
■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.
NOTICE
■To avoid damaging the transmission and other components
●Avoid spinning the wheels and do not rev the hybrid system.
●If the vehicle remains stuck after trying these procedures, the vehicle may require
towing to be freed.
Carry out the following procedures if the tires spin or the vehicle becomes
stuck in mud, dirt, or snow.
●Stop the hybrid system. Set the parking brake and put the selec-
tor lever in P.
● Remove the mud, snow, or sand from around the stuck tire.
● Place wood, stones or some other material to help provide trac-
tion under the tires.
● Restart the hybrid system.
● Carefully apply the accelerator to free the vehicle.