RX400h

Yes, please upload a picture. I can't imagine how something like that would cost $7000 - a transmission, maybe, but an inverter? <_<

I believe the map is displayed but I can't remember which "buttons" are shown. Certainly, there are very limited functions available.

Things happen so quickly that often, unless an action is well-rehersed, it doesn't get done. this is why emergency personnel must train consistently for that one time when the real deal is "going down".

You are correct. I MUST start my RX before being able to enter an address into the GPS screen.

I would guess that the driver did not own a pushbutton start Lexus and therefore did not know how to shut the engine off. Shifting the transmission into neutral wasn't done, either, for some reason. Since no one survived the accident, we can only speculate as to what was attempted.

Congratulations! Those are some excellent tips. While we average only 24.5 MPG, I have to take some of the blame when I blast past X5s and Cayennes every now and then. Still, a new Volkaswagon Rabbit averages 24 MPG with just 170 HP and a lot less weight, so I don't feel too bad.....

I guess the questions remains - why didn't the officer put the transmission in neutral? If I were the passenger and the driver wasn't thinking staight, I'd throw that gear shift lever into neutral. Of course, hindsight is 20-20, as we all know.

The electric assist is typically used while accelerating, especially up a hill. While cruising, there is very little load on the engine, thus, no need for "boost". You will find that on highway cruises, there is virtually no difference in mileage between an RX400h and RX330 or RX350. However, around town, the RX330/RX350's fuel mileage will plummet to 16 MPG or so. The RX400hs mileage around town is 28-30 MPG, almost double that of its non-hybrid siblings. We average about 25 MPG for combined city and highway. It is unlikely that any non-hybrid RX will achieve that kind of mileage under the same conditions.

I checked my manual and couldn't find any mention of that, although personally, I've never had the need to turn on the door or rear storage area lights while driving.

Just be sure that the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combination is the same as that of the 18" combo.

Not just oil activates the message ... it'll activate for tire rotation, cab & ICE air filters, etc ... what ever you want to set it up for. What with all the different intervals, the light'll be on quite frequently, as it's difficult to schedule everything to need service at the same time. Our 06 was set up (when received, new) to show that message only when the oil needs to be changed, since we haven't added any other "reminders" using the NAV screen. I keep a notebook of all of my vehicle's maintenance requirements and activities, but having the option to let the RX take care of the reinders is handy.

The procedure for resetting the mileage timer and removing the message is in the owner's manual. If it HAS been 5000 miles since the oil was last changed, you should have it done, soon.

Patent Case May Threaten Toyota Hybrid Imports. Bloomberg News (9/4, Decker, Ohnsman) reports, "Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest seller of autos powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity, faces a patent-infringement claim that may result in a U.S. import ban on its Prius and other hybrid models." Closely held Paice LLC filed a complaint Thursday "with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington," claiming Toyota is infringing its patent. The company seeks an order to ban imports of Toyota products using its invention." Bloomberg recalls that "Paice won a jury verdict in 2005 that the Prius and hybrid Highlander and Lexus RX400h sport-utility vehicles used Paice inventions related to drivetrains. The new ITC complaint claims the hybrid Camry, third-generation Prius, Lexus HS250h sedan and Lexus RX450h SUV infringe the same patent."

Are you referring to the main display and the boxes that sequentially appear in the battery direction? They should appear while coasting and braking. What is your average mileage so far?

My 68 Corvette had 4-wheel disc brakes, yet could not even come close to stopping a full-throttle condition (believe me, I tried). That car had about 350 HP, which was not astronomical. I can believe that the 09 ES350 has more than enough power to "overpower" its brakes.

According to a person in the ES section, the shifter cannot be put into neutral during those conditions. It is very rare that a mechanical ignition switch cannot turn off an engine. This is one reason why I am now happy to have a mechanical ignition switch!

I agree. It doesn't seem like this was a one-time occurance.

Steve, Is that the procedure to shut down the Prius as well? I would think that some people would get a bit spooked if the service advisor went over a "Things to do in case of a runaway full throttle emergency" procedure before handing over the "keys". Still.....

I agree that most people wouldn't know to press the start button for 6 seconds to cut off a runaway engine. With an ordinary mechanical ignition switch, you'd simply turn the key. If the shift lever could be moved into the neutral gate, I'm sure a rev-limiter would prevent the engine from blowing up.

The story was also in our local paper and it was there that the car model was listed. In fact, I recently used an 09 ES350 from the same dealership (from where we bought our RX400h). Fortunately, I had no reason to floor the accelerator at any time while it was in my pocession. I did have this happen when I had a 1968 Corvette, quite a few years ago. It was a harrowing experience, to say the least. I'll bet the driver wasn't thinking correctly, as he had probably never had this type of thing happen before.

I thought that the shift lever must be in "Park" before the button (pressed for 3 seconds) can turn off the engine. And yes, the theory floating around is that the floor mat slid up far enough to catch the accelerator pedal.

As some of you may know, a very tragic incident occured recently in the San Diego area: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat...h-56629472.html Many have speculated that the driver could not shut off his dealer-loaned car, a Lexus ES350. I know that many in this forum wished that the RX400h came from the factory with pushbutton start, but after reading that article, I am more inclined to be thankful that should the need arise, I can deactivate electrical power to the engine with a mechanical switch. In any case, any driver of a vehicle containing a pushbutton switch should know how to turn off the engine in case of an emergency. I admit that this didn't cross my mind until I read the article. Thoughts? Dave

A local (San Diego) man and his family were killed when the 09 ES350 he was driving careened out of control when (according to the news story) its accelerator pedal became jammed under the carpet. Apparently, the start button must be pressed for 3 seconds before the car will shut down? Is this true? The car was a loaner from a local dealership and my guess is that the CHP officer who was driving, did not know how to shut the car down using this method. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat...h-56629472.html I'm sorry if this was posted previously; I didn't see it when I looked.

I don't remove the shield, just remove the screws so I can reach up and loosen/remove the oil filter with a box wrench (the K&N oil filter I use has a welded-on nut that makes removing the filter very easy).

Back about a month ago, I was rotating my daughters's Mazda Protege tires when sure enough, one of the studs broke off. In all my years of shade tree mechanics, I had never had this happen, but it turned out that it wasn't that difficult after I picked up a couple of things at the auto parts store - the correct nut or two and a ball peen hammer. A claw hammer can chip, so try not to use this type when smacking a nut or stud (The nut typically prevents mushrooming the stud). I wasn't able to pull the new stud flush, but after mounting the wheen and torquing the lug nut for that stud, all was well. That's good news about the caliper disassembly. According to what I learned here, however, a brake job won't be needed for many more miles (my RX has 45,000 miles on it, currently). Dave