towing LEXUS RX450h 2021 Owner's Guide

3736-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
●When the engine is new, for example
directly after purchasing the vehicle or
after replacing the engine
●If low quality oil or oil of an inappropriate
viscosity is used
●When driving at high engine speeds or
with a heavy load, when towing, or when
driving while accelera ting or decelerat-
ing frequently
●When leaving the engine idling for a long
time, or when driving frequently through
heavy traffic
■After changing the engine oil
The engine oil maintena nce data should be
reset. Perform the following procedures:
1 Press or of the meter control
switch to select on the multi-infor-
mation display.
2 Press or of the meter control
switch, select the “Vehicle Settings”
then “Oil Maintenance”. (To confirm
setting, press .)
3 Select the “Yes” and press .
4 A message is displayed on the
multi-information display.
■Engine coolant reservoir
The coolant level is satisfactory if it is
between the “FULL” and “LOW” lines
on the reservoir when the hybrid sys-
tem is cold.
Reservoir cap
“FULL” line
“LOW” line
If the level is on or below the “LOW” line,
add coolant up to the “FULL” line.
( P.454)
WARNING
■Used engine oil
●Used engine oil contains potentially
harmful contaminants which may
cause skin disorders such as inflamma-
tion and skin cancer, so care should be
taken to avoid prolonged and
repeated contact. To remove used
engine oil from your skin, wash thor-
oughly with soap and water.
●Dispose of used oil and filters only in a
safe and acceptable manner. Do not
dispose of used oil and filters in house-
hold trash, in sewers or onto the
ground.
Call your Lexus dealer, service station
or auto parts store for information
concerning recycling or disposal.
●Do not leave used engine oil within the
reach of children.
NOTICE
■To prevent serious engine damage
Check the oil level on a regular basis.
■When replacing the engine oil
●Be careful not to spill engine oil on the
vehicle components.
●Avoid overfilling, or the engine could
be damaged.
●Check the oil level on the dipstick
every time you re fill the vehicle.
●Be sure the engine o il filler cap is prop-
erly tightened.
Checking the coolant
A
B
C

4137-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
7-2.Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs to be
towed
If towing is necessary, we recom-
mend having your vehicle towed by
your Lexus dealer or commercial
towing service, using a wheel-lift
type truck or flatbed truck.
Use a safety chain system for all
towing, and abide by all state/pro-
vincial and local laws.
If towing your vehicle with a
wheel-lift type truck, use a towing
dolly. ( P.414, 413)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.Fail-
ure to do so may result in death or seri-
ous injury.
■When towing the vehicle
Be sure to transport the vehicle with all
four wheels raised off the ground. If the
vehicle is towed with the tires contacting
the ground, the driv etrain or related
parts may be damaged, the vehicle may
fly off the truck, or electricity generated
by the operation of the motor may cause
a fire to occur depending on the nature
of the damage or malfunction.
■While towing
●When towing using cables or chains,
avoid sudden starts, etc. which place
excessive stress on the towing eyelets,
cables or chains. The towing eyelets,
cables or chains may become dam-
aged, broken debris may hit people,
and cause serious damage.
●Do not turn the power 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 no t securely installed,
towing eyelets may come loose during
towing.

4147-2. 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 hybrid system warning message
is shown on the multi-information
display and the vehicle does not
move.
 The vehicle makes an abnormal
sound.
From the front
Use a towing dolly under the rear
wheels.
From the rear
Use a towing dolly under the front
wheels.
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 power 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
Hybrid AWD system and transmission.
(  P.183)
Situations when it is necessary to
contact dealers before towing
Towing with a wheel-lift type
truck

4157-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
When using a flat-bed truck to trans-
port the vehicle, use tire strapping
belts. Refer to the owner's manual of
the flat-bed truck for the tire strapping
method.
In order to suppress vehicle movement
during transportation, set the parking
brake and turn the power switch off.
If a tow truck is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tem-
porarily towed using cables or chains
secured to the emergency towing eye-
lets. This should only be attempted on
hard surfaced roads for short distances
at under 18 mph (30 km/h).
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.433)
2 Remove the eyelet cover.
Except F SPORT models
F SPORT models
NOTICE
■Towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck to pre-
vent body damage.
Using a flatbed truck
Emergency towing (vehicles
with towing eyelets)
Emergency towing procedure
(vehicles with towing eyelets)

4167-2. Steps to take in an emergency
3Insert 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 hybrid system.
If the hybrid system does not start, turn the
power switch to ON.
7Shift the shift lever to N and release
the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. ( P.196)
When the shift lever cannot be shifted:
 P.192
■While towing
If the hybrid system is off, 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
compartment. ( P.433)

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.

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)

4437-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
WARNING
• PCS (Pre-Collision System)
• LTA (Lane Tracing Assist)
• RSA (Road Sign Assist) (if equipped)
•Automatic High Beam
• AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting System) (if equipped)
• Tire pressure warning system
• Intuitive parking assist (if equipped)
• PKSB (Parking Support Brake) (if equipped)
• Lexus parking assist monitor (if equipped)
• Panoramic view monitor (if equipped)
• BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) (if equipped)
• Navigation system (if equipped)
Also, not only can the following system
not be utilized fully, but it may even nega-
tively affect the drive-train components:
•E-Four
■Speed limit when using the compact
spare tire
Do not drive at speeds in excess of 50
mph (80 km/h) when a compact spare
tire is installed on the vehicle.
The compact spare tire is not designed
for driving at high speeds. Failure to
observe this precaution may lead to an
accident causing deat h or serious injury.
■After using the tools and jack
Before driving, make sure all the tools
and jack are securely in place in their
storage location to reduce the possibility
of personal injury during a collision or
sudden braking.
NOTICE
■Be careful when driving over bumps
with the compact spare tire installed
on the vehicle
The vehicle becomes lower when driving
with the compact spar e tire compared to
when driving with standard tires. Be
careful when driving over uneven road
surfaces.
■Driving with tire chains and the com-
pact spare tire
Do not fit tire chains to the compact
spare tire. Tire chains may damage the
vehicle body and adversely affect driving
performance.
■When replacing the tires
When removing or fitting the wheels,
tires or the tire pr essure warning valve
and transmitter, contact your Lexus
dealer as the tire pressure warning valve
and transmitter may be damaged if not
handled correctly.
■When stowing the flat tire
(RX450hL)
●Ensure that there is no object caught
between the tire and the vehicle
underbody.
●Securely tighten the spare tire clamp
bolt to hold the spare wheel carrier by
the hook.
●Stow the flat tire in the spare tire loca-
tion. Failure to do so may cause dam-
age to the spare tire carrier. Proper
storage reduces the possibility of injury
in a collision or during sudden braking.
●Have the flat tire repaired and the
spare tire replaced with it as soon as
possible.

4447-2. Steps to take in an emergency
One of the following may be the cause
of the problem:
The electronic key may not be func-
tioning properly. ( P.447)
 There may not be sufficient fuel in
the vehicle’s tank.
Refuel the vehicle.
 There may be a malfunction in the
immobilizer system. ( P.73)
 There may be a malfunction in the
steering lock system.
 The hybrid system may be malfunc-
tioning due to an electrical problem
such as electronic key battery
depletion or a blown fuse. However,
depending on the type of malfunc-
tion, an interim measure is available
to start the hybrid system. ( P.445)
One of the following may be the cause
NOTICE
■Proper storage of the spare tire
(RX450hL)
●If the hoist assembly is slanted when
stowing a tire, the hoist assembly may
become stuck in the wheel opening
and the tire may not be raised properly,
causing damage to the wheel or the
wire cable.
●If the spare tire clamp bolt is turned
without a tire on the hoist assembly, the
wire cable may not be able to be low-
ered. If the wire cable cannot be low-
ered, contact your Lexus dealer.
If the hybrid system will not
start
Reasons for the hybrid system not
starting vary depending on the situ-
ation. Check the following and per-
form the appropriate procedure:
The hybrid system will not start
even though the correct starting
procedure is being followed.
(  P.184)
The interior lights and head-
lights are dim, or the horn does
not sound or sounds at a low vol-
ume.

4587-2. Steps to take in an emergency
WARNING
■When attempting to free a stuck vehi-
cle
If you choose to push the vehicle back
and forth to free it, make sure the sur-
rounding area is clear to avoid striking
other vehicles, objects or people. 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 shif t the shift lever with
the accelerator pedal depressed.
This may lead to unexpected rapid accel-
eration of the vehicle that may cause an
accident resulting in death or serious
injury.
NOTICE
■To avoid damage to the hybrid trans-
mission and other components
●Avoid spinning the front wheels and
depressing the accelerator pedal
more than necessary.
●If the vehicle remains stuck even after
these procedures are performed, the
vehicle may require towing to be freed.