Lexus RX 450h Owner's Manual page 390

388 4-6. Driving tips
owner's permission before entering
private property.
 Do not enter areas that are closed.
Honor gates, barriers and signs that
restrict travel.
 Stay on established roads. When
conditions are wet, driving tech-
niques should be changed or travel
delayed to prevent damage to
roads.
 Avoid driving on very steep, slippery
roads and other surfaces, such as
sand, where the tires are liable to
lose traction. Your vehicle may not
perform as well as conventional
AWD on-road vehicles on these
surfaces.
WARNING
Off-road driving precautions
■
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of death, seri-
ous injury or damage to your vehicle:
Drive carefully when off the road. Do
●
not take unnecessary risks by driving in
dangerous places.
Do not grip the steering wheel spokes
●
when driving off-road. A bad bump
could jerk the wheel and injure your
hands. Keep both hands and especially
your thumbs on the outside of the rim.
Always check your brakes for effec-
●
tiveness immediately after driving in
sand, mud, water or snow.
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
After driving through tall grass, mud,
●
rock, sand, rivers, etc., check that there
is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stone,
sand, etc. adhering or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such matter
from the underbody. If the vehicle is
used with these materials trapped or
adhering to the underbody, a break-
down or fire could occur.
When driving off-road or in rugged
●
terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns, strike
objects, etc. This may cause loss of
control or vehicle rollover causing
death or serious injury. You are also
risking expensive damage to your
vehicle's suspension and chassis.
NOTICE
To prevent water damage
■
Take all necessary safety measures to
ensure that water damage to the hybrid
battery (traction battery), hybrid system
or other components does not occur.
Water entering the engine compart-
●
ment may cause severe damage to the
hybrid system. Water entering the inte-
rior may cause the hybrid battery
(traction battery) stowed under the
rear seats to short circuit.
Water entering the hybrid transmis-
●
sion and rear electric motor (traction
motor) will cause deterioration in
transmission quality. The malfunction
indicator may come on, and the vehi-
cle may not be drivable.
Water can wash the grease from wheel
●
bearings, causing rusting and prema-
ture failure, and may also enter the
hybrid transmission case, reducing the
gear oil's lubricating qualities.