tow LEXUS RX450h 2021 Owner's Guide

1834-1. Before driving
4
Driving
Dinghy towing
Your vehicle is not designed to be
dinghy towed (with 4 wheels on the
ground) behind a motor home.
NOTICE
■To avoid serious damage to your vehi-
cle
Do not tow your vehicle with the four
wheels on the ground.
■To prevent causing serious damage to
the hybrid transmission and Hybrid
AWD system
Never tow this vehicle with any of the
wheels on the ground. This may cause
serious damage to the hybrid transmis-
sion and AWD system.

1944-2. Driving procedures
ically set to S4 or S5 according to the vehi-
cle speed.
■Shift ranges and their functions
 You can choose from 6 levels of
accelerating force and engine brak-
ing force.
 A lower shift range will provide
greater accelerating force and
engine braking force than a higher
shift range, and the engine revolu-
tions will also increase.
 If you accelerate while in ranges 1 to
4, the shift range may automatically
increase in accordance with the
vehicle speed.
■S mode
●When the shift range is S4 or lower, hold-
ing the shift lever towa rd “+” sets the shift
range to S6.
●Automatically selects a higher shift range
before the engine speed becomes too
high.1 Right turn
2 Lane change to the right (move the
lever partway and release it)
The right hand signals will flash 3 times.
3Lane change to the left (move the
lever partway and release it)
The left hand signals will flash 3 times.
4Left turn
■Turn signals can be operated when
The power switch is in ON mode.
■If the indicator flashes faster than usual
Check that a light bulb in the front or rear
turn signal lights has not burned out.
■If the turn signals stop flashing before a
lane change has been performed
Operate the lever again.
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
Turn signal lever
Operating instructions

2014-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
Doing so interferes with the sensor detect-
ing the level of ambient light and may cause
the automatic headlight system to malfunc-
tion.
■Automatic light off system
●When the headlights are on: The head-
lights and tail lights turn off 30 seconds
after the driver’s door is opened and
closed if the power switch is turned to
ACCESSORY mode or turned off. (The
lights turn off immediately if on the
key is pressed after all the doors are
closed.)
●When only the tail lights are on: The tail
lights turn off automatically if the power
switch is turned to ACCESSORY mode
or turned off and the driver’s door is
opened.
■Automatic headlight leveling system (if
equipped)
The level of the headlights is automatically
adjusted according to the number of pas-
sengers and the loading condition of the
vehicle to ensure that the headlights do not
interfere with other road users.
■Light reminder buzzer
A buzzer sounds when the power switch is
turned off or turned to ACCESSORY
mode and the driver’s door is opened while
the lights are turned on.
■Welcome lighting
If the headlight switch is turned to and
the surrounding area is dark, unlocking the
doors using the smart access system with
push-button start or wireless remote con-
trol will turn the parking lights and tail lights
on automatically.
■Windshield wiper linked headlight illu-
mination
When driving during daytime with the
headlight switch turned to , if the wind-
shield wipers are used, the headlights will
turn on automatically after several seconds
to help enhance the visibility of your vehicle.
■12-volt battery-saving function
In order to prevent the 12-volt battery of the vehicle from discharging, if the headlights
and/or tail lights are on when the power
switch is turned off the 12-volt battery sav-
ing function will operate and automatically
turn off all the lights
after approximately 20
minutes. When the power switch is turned
to ON mode, the 12-volt battery-saving
function will be disabled.
When any of the following are performed,
the 12-volt battery-saving function is can-
celed once and then reactivated. All the
lights will turn off automatically 20 minutes
after the 12-volt battery-saving function has
been reactivated:
●When the headlight switch is operated
●When a door is opened or closed
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.480)
1 With the headlights on, push the
lever away from you to turn on the
high beams.
Pull the lever toward you to the center
position to turn the high beams off.
2Pull the lever toward you and
release it to flash the high beams
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery discharge
Do not leave the lights on longer than
necessary when the hy brid system is off.
Turning on the high beam head-
lights

2044-3. Operating the lights and wipers
out its headlights turned on is detected.
●House lights, street lights, traffic signals,
and illuminated billboards or signs and
other reflective objects may cause the
high beams to change to the low beams,
or the low beams to remain on.
●The following factors may affect the
amount of time taken for the high beams
to turn on or off:
• The brightness of the headlights, fog
lights, and tail lights of vehicles ahead
• The movement and direction of vehicles ahead
• When a vehicle ahead only has opera- tional lights on one side
• When a vehicle ahead is a two-wheeled
vehicle
• The condition of the road (gradient, curve, condition of th e road surface, etc.)
• The number of passengers and amount of luggage in the vehicle
●The high beams may turn on or off unex-
pectedly.
●Bicycles or similar vehicles may not be
detected.
●In the following situations the system may
not be able to correctly detect the sur-
rounding brightness le vel. This may cause
the low beams to remain on or the high
beams to flash or dazzle pedestrians or
vehicles ahead. In such a case, it is neces-
sary to manually switch between the high
and low beams.
• When driving in inclement weather
(heavy rain, snow, fog, sandstorms, etc.)
• When the windshield is obscured by fog, mist, ice, dirt, etc.
• When the windshield is cracked or dam- aged
• When the camera sensor is deformed or
dirty
• When the temperature of the camera sensor is extremely high
• When the surrounding brightness level is equal to that of head lights, tail lights or
fog lights
• When headlights or tail lights of vehicles
ahead are turned off, dirty, changing
color, or not aimed properly
• When the vehicle is hit by water, snow,
dust, etc. from a preceding vehicle
• When driving through an area of inter-mittently changing brightness and dark-
ness
• When frequently and repeatedly driving
ascending/descending roads, or roads
with rough, bumpy or uneven surfaces
(such as stone-paved roads, gravel roads,
etc.)
• When frequently and repeatedly taking curves or driving on a winding road
• When there is a highly reflective object ahead of the vehicle, such as a sign or
mirror
• When the back of a preceding vehicle is highly reflective, such as a container on a
truck
• When the vehicle’s headlights are dam- aged or dirty, or are not aimed properly
• When the vehicle is listing or titling due to
a flat tire, a trailer being towed, etc.
• When the headlights are changed between the high beams and low beams
repeatedly in an abnormal manner
• When the driver believes that the high beams may be flashing or dazzling
pedestrians or other drivers
■Temporarily lowering sensor sensitivity
The sensitivity of the sensor can be tempo-
rarily lowered.
1 Turn the power switch off while the fol-
lowing conditions are met.
●The headlight switch is in or .
●The headlight switch lever is in high beam
position.
●Automatic High Beam switch is on.
2 Turn the power switch to ON mode.
3 Within 60 seconds after step 2 , repeat
pulling the headlight switch lever to the
original position then pushing it to the
high beam position quickly 10 times,
then leave the lever in high beam posi-
tion.
4 If the sensitivity is changed, the Auto-
matic High Beam indicator is turn on
and off 3 times.
Automatic High Beam (headlights) may
turn on even when the vehicle is stopped.

2054-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
■Switching to the high beams
Push the lever away from you.
The Automatic High Beam indicator will
turn off and the high beam indicator will
turn on.
Pull the lever to its original position to acti-
vate the Automatic High Beam system
again.
■Switching to the low beams
Press the Automatic High Beam
switch.
The Automatic High Beam indicator will
turn off.
Press the switch to activate the Automatic
High Beam system again.
■Temporarily switching to the low
beams
Pull the lever toward you and then return it to its original position.
The high beams are on while the lever is
pulled toward you, however, after the lever
is returned to its original position, the low
beams remain on for a certain amount of
time. Afterwards, the Automatic High
Beam will be activated again.
■Temporarily switchin
g to the low beams
It is recommended to switch to the low
beams when the high beam may cause
problems or distress to other drivers or
pedestrians nearby.
Turning the high beams on/off
manually

2084-3. Operating the lights and wipers
●If the wiper switch is turned to the
“AUTO” position while the power switch
is in ON mode, the wipers will operate
once to show that AUTO mode is acti-
vated.
●When the sensor sensitivity ring is turned
toward high while in “AUTO” position, the
wipers will operate once to indicate that
the sensor sensitiv ity is enhanced.
●If the temperature of the raindrop sensor
is 194°F (90°C) or higher, or 5°F (-15°C)
or lower, automatic operation may not
occur. In this case, operate the wipers in
any mode other than AUTO mode.
■If no windshield washer fluid sprays
Check that the washer nozzles are not
blocked, if there is washer fluid in the
washer fluid tank.
■Front door opening linked windshield
wiper stop function
When “AUTO” is selected and the wind-
shield wipers are operatin g, if a front door is
opened, the operation of the windshield
wipers will be stopped to prevent anyone
near the vehicle from being sprayed by
water from the wipers, provided the vehicle
is stopped with the parking brake applied or
the shift lever in P. When the front door is
closed, wiper operation will resume.
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.480)
When the windshield wipers are not
being used, they retract to below the
hood. To enable the windshield wipers
to be lifted when parking in cold condi-
tions or when replacing a windshield
wiper insert, change the rest position of
the windshield wipers to the service
position using the wiper lever.
WARNING
■Caution regarding the use of wind-
shield wipers in AUTO mode
The windshield wipers may operate
unexpectedly if the sensor is touched or
the windshield is subj ect to vibration in
A U T O m o d e . T a k e c a r e t h a t y o u r f i n g e r s ,
etc. do not become caught in the wind-
shield wipers.
■Caution regarding the use of washer
fluid
When it is cold, do not use the washer
fluid until the windshield becomes warm.
The fluid may freeze on the windshield
and cause low visibility. This may lead to
an accident, resulting in death or serious
injury.
NOTICE
■When the washer fluid tank is empty
Do not operate the switch continually as
the washer fluid pump may overheat.
■When a nozzle becomes blocked
In this case, contact your Lexus dealer.
Do not try to clear it with a pin or other
object. The nozzle will be damaged.
Changing the windshield wiper
rest position/Lifting the wind-
shield wipers

2214-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
WARNING
■Limitations of the pre-collision system
●The driver is solely responsible for safe
driving. Always drive safely, taking
care to observe your surroundings.
Do not use the pre-collision system
instead of normal braking operations
under any circumstances. This system
will not prevent collisions or lessen col-
lision damage or injury in every situa-
tion. Do not overly rely on this system.
Failure to do so may lead to an acci-
dent, resulting in death or serious
injury.
●Although this system is designed to
help avoid a collision or help reduce
the impact of the collision, its effective-
ness may change according to various
conditions, therefore the system may
not always be able to achieve the same
level of performance.
Read the following conditions care-
fully. Do not overly rely on this system
and always drive carefully.
• Conditions under which the system may operate even if there is no possi-
bility of a collision:
P.224
• Conditions under which the system may not operate properly:
P.225
●Do not attempt to test the operation of
the pre-collision system yourself.
Depending on the objects used for
testing (dummies, cardboard objects
imitating detectable objects, etc.), the
system may not operate properly, pos-
sibly leading to an accident.
■Pre-collision braking
●When the pre-collision braking func-
tion is operating, a large amount of
braking force will be applied.
●If the vehicle is stopped by the opera-
tion of the pre-collision braking func-
tion, the pre-collision braking function
operation will be canceled after
approximately 2 seco nds. Depress the
brake pedal as necessary.
●The pre-collision braking function may
not operate if certain operations are
performed by the driver. If the acceler-
ator pedal is being depressed strongly
or the steering wheel is being turned,
the system may determine that the
driver is taking evasive action and pos-
sibly prevent the pre-collision braking
function from operating.
●In some situations, while the pre-colli-
sion braking function is operating,
operation of the function may be can-
celed if the accelerator pedal is
depressed strongly or the steering
wheel is turned and the system deter-
mines that the driver is taking evasive
action.
●If the brake pedal is being depressed,
the system may determine that the
driver is taking evasive action and pos-
sibly delay the operat ion timing of the
pre-collision braking function.
■When to disable the pre-collision sys-
tem
In the following situations, disable the
system, as it may not operate properly,
possibly leading to an accident resulting
in death or serious injury:
●When the vehicle is being towed
●When your vehicle is towing another
vehicle
●When transporting the vehicle via
truck, boat, train or similar means of
transportation
●When the vehicle is raised on a lift with
the hybrid system on and the tires are
allowed to rotate freely
●When inspecting the vehicle using a
drum tester such as a chassis dyna-
mometer or speedometer tester, or
when using an on vehicle wheel bal-
ancer
●When a strong impact is applied to the
front bumper or front grille, due to an
accident or other reasons

2254-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
• When using an automatic car wash
• When driving through or under objects that may contact your vehicle, such as
thick grass, tree branches, or a banner
• When driving through steam or smoke
• When driving near an object that reflects
radio waves, such as a large truck or
guardrail
• When driving near a TV tower, broad- casting station, electric power plant, or
other location where strong radio waves
or electrical noise may be present
■Situations in which the system may not
operate properly
●In some situations such as the following,
an object may not be detected by the
radar sensor and front camera, prevent-
ing the system from operating properly:
• When a detectable object is approaching your vehicle
• When your vehicle or a detectable object
is wobbling
• If a detectable object makes an abrupt
maneuver (such as sudden swerving,
acceleration or deceleration)
• When your vehicle approaches a detect-
able object rapidly
• When a detectable object is not directly in front of your vehicle
• When a detectable object is near a wall, fence, guardrail, manhole cover, vehicle,
steel plate on the road, etc.
• When a detectable object is under a structure • When part of a detect
able object is hid-
den by an object, such as large baggage,
an umbrella, or guardrail
• When multiple dete ctable objects are
close together
• If the sun or other light is shining directly
on a detectable object
• When a detectable object is a shade of white and looks extremely bright
• When a detectable ob ject appears to be
nearly the same color or brightness as its
surroundings
• If a detectable object cuts or suddenly emerges in front of your vehicle
• When the front of your vehicle is hit by
water, snow, dust, etc.
• When a very bright light ahead, such as the sun or the head lights of oncoming
traffic, shines direct ly into the front cam-
era
• When approaching the side or front of a
vehicle ahead
• If a vehicle ahead is a motorcycle
• If a vehicle ahead is narrow, such as a per- sonal mobility vehicle
• If a preceding vehicle has a small rear end, such as an unloaded truck
• If a preceding vehicle has a low rear end, such as a low bed trailer
• If a vehicle ahead has extremely high ground clearance
• If a vehicle ahead is carrying a load which protrudes past its rear bumper
• If a vehicle ahead is irregularly shaped, such as a tractor or side car

2284-5. Using the driving support systems
WARNING
●When your vehicle is towing a trailer
(vehicles with towing package) or
during emergency towing.
■Preventing LTA system malfunctions
and operations performed by mistake
●Do not modify the headlights or place
stickers, etc. on the surface of the
lights.
●Do not modify the suspension etc. If
the suspension etc. needs to be
replaced, contact your Lexus dealer.
●Do not install or place anything on the
hood or grille. Also, do not install a
grille guard (bull bars, kangaroo bar,
etc.).
●If your windshield needs repairs, con-
tact your Lexus dealer.
■Conditions in which functions may
not operate properly
In the following situations, the functions
may not operate properly and the vehicle
may depart from its lane. Drive safely by
always paying careful attention to your
surroundings and operate the steering
wheel to correct the path of the vehicle
without relying solely on the functions.
●When the follow-up cruising display is
displayed (
P.232) and the preced-
ing vehicle changes lanes. (Your vehi-
cle may follow the preceding vehicle
and also change lanes.)
●When the follow-up cruising display is
displayed (
P.232) and the preced-
ing vehicle is swaying. (Your vehicle
may sway accordingly and depart from
the lane.)
●When the follow-up cruising display is
displayed (P.232) and the preced-
ing vehicle departs from its lane. (Your
vehicle may follow the preceding vehi-
cle and depart from the lane.)
●When the follow-up cruising display is
displayed (
P.232) and the preced-
ing vehicle is being driven extremely
close to the left/right lane line. (Your
vehicle may follow the preceding vehi-
cle and depart from the lane.)
●Vehicle is being driven around a sharp
curve.
●Objects or patterns that could be mis-
taken for white (yellow) lines are pres-
ent on the side of the road (guardrails,
reflective poles, etc.).
●Vehicle is driven where the road
diverges, merges, etc.

2404-5. Using the driving support systems
This mode employs a radar to detect the presence of vehicles up to approximately
WARNING
■Situations unsuitable for dynamic
radar cruise control with full-speed
range
Do not use dynamic radar cruise control
with full-speed range in any of the follow-
ing situations. Doing so may result in
inappropriate speed control and could
cause an accident re sulting in death or
serious injury.
●Roads where there are pedestrians,
cyclists, etc.
●In heavy traffic
●On roads with sharp bends
●On winding roads
●On slippery roads, such as those cov-
ered with rain, ice or snow
●On steep downhills , or where there
are sudden changes between sharp up
and down gradients
Vehicle speed may exceed the set
speed when driving down a steep hill.
●At entrances to freeways and highways
●When weather conditions are bad
enough that they may prevent the sen-
sors from detectin g correctly (fog,
snow, sandstorm, heavy rain, etc.)
●When there is rain, snow, etc. on the
front surface of the radar or front cam-
era
●In traffic conditions that require fre-
quent repeated acceleration and
deceleration
●When your vehicle is towing a trailer
or during emergency towing
●When an approach warning buzzer is
heard often
Driving in vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode