flat tire LEXUS RX450h 2021 Owner's Guide

4177-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
Fluid leaks under the vehicle
(Water dripping from the air condi-
tioning after use is normal.)
 Flat-looking tires or uneven tire
wear
 Engine coolant temperature gauge
needle continually points higher
than normal
 Changes in exhaust sound
 Excessive tire squeal when corner-
ing
 Strange noises related to the sus-
pension system
 Pinging or other noises related to
the hybrid system
 Engine missing, stumbling or run-
ning roughly
 Appreciable loss of power
 Vehicle pulls heavily to one side
when braking 
Vehicle pulls heavily to one side
when driving on a level road
 Loss of brake effectiveness, spongy
feeling, pedal almost touches the
floor
If you think something is
wrong
If you notice any of the following
symptoms, your vehicle probably
needs adjustment or repair. Con-
tact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible.
Visible symptoms
Audible symptoms
Operational symptoms

4227-2. Steps to take in an emergency
■Rear passengers’ seat belt reminder light*1 (warning buzzer)*2
*1: This light illuminates on the center panel.Regardless of whether or not a rear passenger is present, if the power switch is turned to
ON mode with the rear seat belts unfastened, this light will also illuminate for a certain
period of time.
*2: Rear passengers’ seat belt warning buzzer:
The rear passengers’ seat belt warning buzzer sounds to alert the rear passenger that his or
her seat belt is not fastened. If the seat belt is unfastened, the buzzer sounds intermittently
for a certain period of time, af ter the seat belt is fastened and unfastened and the vehicle
reaches a certain speed.
■Tire pressure warning light
■LTA indicator (warning buzzer)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(RX450h)
or
(RX450hL)
Warns the rear passengers to fasten their seat belts
 Fasten the seat belt.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates the following:
Low tire pressure due to flat tire;
 Low tire pressure due to natural causes; or
 The tire pressure warning system is malfunctioning
 Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place.
Handling method ( P.425)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(orange)
Indicates a malfunction in th e LTA (Lane Tracing Assist)
 Follow the instructions displayed on the multi-information display.
(  P.235)

4267-2. Steps to take in an emergency
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.385)
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 lig ht will go off after a
few minutes.
■Conditions that the tire pressure warn-
ing system may not function properly
 P.383
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.480)
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.
■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 prob able that you have
a flat tire. Check the tire s. 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.

4277-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
WARNING
■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 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 warn-
ing light) when one or more of your tires
is significantly under-inflated. Accord-
ingly, when the low tire pressure telltale
(tire pressure warnin g 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.
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of
replacement or alternate tires or wheels
on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
(tire pressure warning system) from func-
tioning properly. Always check the
TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction telltale 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.
NOTICE
■To ensure the tire pressure warning
system operates properly
Do not install tires with different specifi-
cations or makers, as the tire pressure
warning system may not operate prop-
erly.

4327-2. Steps to take in an emergency
Stop the vehicle in a safe place on a
hard, flat surface.
 Set the parking brake.
 Shift the shift lever to P.
 Stop the hybrid system.
 Turn on the emergency flashers.
( P.410)
If you have a flat tire
Your vehicle is equipped with a
spare tire. The flat tire can be
replaced with the spare tire.
For details about tires: P.380
WARNING
■If you have a flat tire
Do not continue driving with a flat tire.
Driving even a short distance with a flat
tire can damage the tire and the wheel
beyond repair, which could result in an
accident.
Before jacking up the vehicle

4347-2. Steps to take in an emergency
RX450hLJack handle
Wheel nut wrench
Spare tire
Jack
Towing eyelet
Adapter socket
A
B
C
D
E
F
WARNING
■Using the tire jack
Observe the following precautions.
Improper use of the tire jack may cause
the vehicle to suddenly fall off the jack,
leading to death or serious injury.
●Do not use the tire jack for any pur-
pose other than replacing tires or
installing and removing tire chains.
●Only use the tire jack that comes with
this vehicle for replacing a flat tire. Do
not use it on other vehicles, and do not
use other tire jacks for replacing tires
on this vehicle.
●Put the jack properly in its jack point.
●Do not put any part of your body under
the vehicle while it is supported by the
jack.
●Do not start the hybrid system or drive
the vehicle while the vehicle is sup-
ported by the jack.

4377-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
P.438
6 Pull out the spare tire and stand it
against the bumper.
7 Fully depress the secondary latch
and remove the holding bracket
from the hoist assembly . 8
Tilt the bracket and pass it
through the wheel opening. Then
remove the hoist assembly .
1 Chock the tires.
A
BC
WARNING
■When storing the spare tire
Be careful not to catch fingers or other
body parts between the spare tire and
the body of the vehicle.
Replacing a flat tire
B
C

4387-2. Steps to take in an emergency
2Slightly loosen the wheel nuts (one
turn).
For vehicles with wheel lock nuts, loosen
the wheel lock nut first.
3Turn the tire jack portion by
hand until the notch of the jack is in
contact with the jack point.
The jack point guides are located under
the rocker panel. They indicate the jack
point positions.
4Raise the vehicle until the tire is
slightly raised off the ground.
5 Remove all the wheel nuts and the
tire.
When resting the tire on the ground, place
the tire so that the wheel design faces up to
avoid scratching the wheel surface.
■If the spare tire cannot be lowered
(RX450hL)
If the spare tire cannot be lowered, it may
not have been stowed properly. Perform the
following procedure:
1 Fully tighten the spare tire clamp bolt by
turning the jack handle clockwise until
two clicks are heard and the jack handle
skips.
Flat tireWheel chock posi-
tions
Front left-hand sideBehind the rear
right-hand side tire
Front right-hand
sideBehind the rear
left-hand side tire
Rear left-hand sideIn front of the front
right-hand side tire
Rear right-hand sideIn front of the front
left-hand side tire
A

4397-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
2Turn the jack handle counterclockwise
to lower the spare tire.
If the spare tire still cannot be lowered,
attempt to fully tighten the spare tire clamp
bolt again by turning the jack handle clock-
wise. Then turn it coun terclockwise at least
2 turns to lower the spare tire.
If the spare tire still ca nnot be lowered, the
wire cable may be seve red. Have the vehi-
cle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
1 Remove any dirt or foreign matter
from the wheel contact surface.
If foreign matter is on the wheel contact
surface, the wheel nuts may loosen while
the vehicle is in motion, causing the tire to
WARNING
■Replacing a flat tire
●Do not touch the disc wheels or the
area around the brakes immediately
after the vehicle has been driven. After
the vehicle has been driven the disc
wheels and the area around the brakes
will be extremely hot. Touching these
areas with hands, feet or other body
parts while changing a tire, etc. may
result in burns.
●Failure to follow these precautions
could cause the wheel nuts to loosen
and the tire to fall of f, resulting in death
or serious injury.
• Never use oil or grease on the wheel bolts or wheel nuts.
Oil and grease may cause the wheel
nuts to be excessively tightened, lead-
ing to bolt or disc wheel damage. In
addition, the oil or grease can cause
the wheel nuts to loosen and the wheel
may fall off, causing an accident and
resulting in death or serious injury.
Remove any oil or grease from the
wheel bolts or wheel nuts.
• Have the wheel nuts tightened with a torque wrench to 76 ft•lbf (103 N•m,
10.5 kgf•m) as soon as possible after
changing wheels.
• When installing a tire, only use wheel nuts that have been specifically
designed for that wheel.
• If there are any cracks or deformations in the bolt screws, nut threads or bolt
holes of the wheel, have the vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer.
●Observe the following precautions.
(RX450hL)
Failure to do so may result in serious
injury:
• Do not try to remove the wheel orna- ment by hand. Take due care in han-
dling the ornament to avoid
unexpected personal injury.
• Lower the spare tire completely to the ground before removing it from under
the vehicle.
■Replacing a flat tire for vehicles with
power back door
In cases such as when replacing tires,
make sure to turn off the power back
door main switch ( P.480). Failure to
do so may cause the back door to oper-
ate unintentionally if the power back
door switch is accidentally touched,
resulting in hands and fingers being
caught and injured.
Installing the spare tire

4407-2. Steps to take in an emergency
come off.
2Install the spare tire and loosely
tighten each wheel nut by hand by
approximately the same amount.
Tighten the wheel nuts until the tapered
portion comes into loose contact with the
disc wheel seat.
Tapered portion
Disc wheel seat
3 Lower the vehicle.
4 Firmly tighten each wheel nut two
or three times in the order shown in
the illustration.
For vehicles with wheel lock nuts, tighten the wheel lock nut last.
Tightening torque:
76 ft•lbf (103 N•m, 10.5 kgf•m)
5
RX450h: Stow the flat tire, tire jack
and all tools.
RX450hL:  P.440
1 Remove the center wheel orna-
ment by pushing from the reverse
side.
Be careful not to lose the wheel ornament.
2Stand the tire against the bumper
with the inner surface facing
toward you. Pass the hoist assembly
A
B
WARNING
■Stowing the flat tire
Failure to follow st eps listed under stow-
ing the tire may result in damage to the
spare tire carrier and loss of the tire,
which could result in serious injury or
death.
Stowing the flat tire, jack and all
tools (RX450hL)