tow LEXUS RX450h 2021 Repair Manual

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

3816-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
inspected at your Lexus dealer.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the
replacement tire is greater than 1/2 of the
Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of
either the front axle or the rear axle, which-
ever is greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification Label.
For the maximum load of the tire, see the
load limit at maximum cold tire inflation
pressure mentioned on the sidewall of the
tire. ( P.471)
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance
tires best suited to highway driving under
dry conditions. Since summer tires do not
have the same traction performance as
snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow-covered or icy roads. For
driving on snow-covered roads or icy
roads, the use of snow tires is recom-
mended. When installing snow tires, be
sure to replace all four tires.
●All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide
better traction in snow and to be adequate
for driving in most winter conditions as well
as for use year-round. All season tires,
however, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow tires in
heavy or loose snow. Also, all season tires
fall short in acceleration and handling per-
formance compared with summer tires in
highway driving.
●Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using snow tires. If
you need snow tires, select tires of the
same size, construction and load capacity
as the originally instal
led tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equip-
ment, make sure your snow tires also have
radial construction. Do not install studded
tires without first checking local regula-
tions for possible restrictions. Snow tires
should be installe d on all wheels. (P.291)
■If the tread on snow tires wears down
below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is
lost.
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to
prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to
parts of the drive train as well as danger-
ous handling characteristics, which may
lead to an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.
●Do not mix tires of different makes,
models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of remarkably
different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than those
recommended by Lexus.
●Do not mix differently constructed
tires (radial, bias-belted or bias-ply
tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season and
snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have been used
on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not know
how they were used previously.
●Do not tow if your vehicle has a com-
pact spare tire installed.

3836-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■Situations in which the tire pressure
warning system may not operate prop-
erly
●In the following cases, the tire pressure
warning system may not operate prop-
erly.
• If non-genuine Lexus wheels are used.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is
not an OE (Original Equipment) tire.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is
not of the specified size.
• Tire chains, etc. are equipped.
• If a window tint that affects the radio wave signals is installed.
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehi- cle, particularly around the wheels or
wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is extremely higher than the specified level.
• If wheel without the tire pressure warning
valve and transmitter is used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warn- ing valves and transmitters is not regis-
tered in the tire pressure warning
computer.
●Performance may be affected in the fol-
lowing situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio stat
ion, large display,
airport or other fac ility that generates
strong radio waves or electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or other wireless
communication device
If tire position information is not correctly
displayed due to the radio wave conditions,
the display may be corrected by driving and
changing the radio wave conditions.
●When the vehicle is parked, the time
taken for the warning to start or go off
could be extended.
●When tire inflation pr essure declines rap-
idly for example when a tire has burst, the
warning may not function.
■Warning performance of the tire pres-
sure warning system
The warning of the tire pressure warning
system will change in accordance with the
conditions under which it was initialized. For
this reason, the system may give a warning
even if the tire pressure does not reach a
low enough level, or if the pressure is higher
than the pressure that was adjusted to when
the system was initialized.
■Tire pressure warning system certification
Except for vehicles sold in Canada

3946-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
of the flathead screwdriver with a tape.
3Remove the depleted battery.
When removing the cover, the electronic
key module may stick to the cover and the
battery may not be visible. In this case,
remove the electronic key module in order
to remove the battery.
Insert a new battery with the “+” terminal
facing up.
WARNING
■Battery precautions
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
●Do not swallow the battery. Doing so
may cause chemical burns.
●A coin battery or button battery is
used in the electronic key. If a battery is
swallowed, it may cause severe chemi-
cal burns in as little as 2 hours and may
result in death or serious injury.
●Keep away new and removed batteries
from children.
●If the cover cannot be firmly closed,
stop using the electronic key and stow
the key in the place where children
cannot reach, and then contact your
Lexus dealer.
●If you accidentally swallow a battery or
put a battery into a part of your body,
get emergency medical attention
immediately.
■To prevent battery explosion or leak-
age of flammable liquid or gas
●Replace the battery with a new battery
of the same type. If a wrong type of
battery is used, it may explode.
●Do not expose batteries to extremely
low pressure due to high altitude or
extremely high temperatures.
●Do not burn, break or cut a battery.
NOTICE
■For normal operation after replacing
the battery
Observe the following precautions to
prevent accidents:
●Always work with dry hands.
Moisture may cause the battery to
rust.
●Do not touch or move any other com-
ponent inside the remote control.
●Do not bend either of the battery ter-
minals.

4056-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
tape to the taillight unit and fold the
excess in half.
2 Hold the folded portion and pull it
toward the rear of the vehicle to
remove the light unit.
5 Turn the bulb base counterclock-
wise and remove it.
6 Remove the light bulb.
7 Install a new light bulb and then
install the bulb base to the light unit
by inserting it and turning it clock-
wise.
After installing the bulb base, wiggle it
lightly to make sure it is securely installed
and turn on the rear turn signal lights to
visually check that ther e is no light leaking from between the bulb
base and light unit.
8Install the light unit.
Align the tabs and push the light unit-
toward the front of the vehicle to install it.
9Install the 2 screws.

409
7
7
When trouble arises
When trouble arises
.7-1. Essential informationEmergency flashers................... 410
If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency ........................... 410
If the vehicle is trapped in rising water.............................................. 411
7-2. Steps to take in an emergency If your vehicle needs to be towed......................................................... 413
If you think something is wrong ......................................................... 417
If a warning light turns on or a warning buzzer sounds ........ 418
If a warning message is displayed ........................................................ 428
If you have a flat tire.................. 432
If the hybrid system will not start ........................................................ 444
If you lose your keys ................. 446
If the fuel filler door cannot be opened........................................ 446
If the electronic key does not operate properly .................... 447
If the 12-volt battery is discharged ........................................................ 449
If your vehicle overheats ........ 454
If the vehicle becomes stuck ........................................................ 457

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)